When many people think about workplace retaliation, they imagine getting fired. Perhaps a worker reports unsafe conditions or sexual harassment that has been taking place on the job. The next day, they find out that they’re being terminated, and they know that it is retaliation for that report.
This can and does happen. But it’s still important to note that retaliation does not always include being fired or losing your job. There are many other ways that employers may retaliate, which could still be illegal.
Changing the schedule
One example is when the employer changes the work schedule. Perhaps they intentionally do it so that it causes conflicts. Say that your employer knows that you always have to pick up your children from school at 4 o’clock, so you’ve always worked a shift that allowed you to get out on time. But they change it so that you’re supposed to stay at work until 7 o’clock, which is impossible for you.
Reducing your pay
Next, although it is possible for employers to reduce an employee’s wages, they cannot do it as a form of retaliation. After all, some employers may be intentionally trying to make the workplace situation worse so that the employee will quit; they think this will get them around a wrongful termination lawsuit. But if your boss changes your hours and cuts your pay in half, this is still a form of retaliation, even if they haven’t technically fired you.
Do you believe you have been retaliated against on the job? Be sure you are well aware of all the legal options you have at your disposal.
