Your employer may have wide latitude when it comes to terminating your employment. However, you are generally protected from retaliation when reporting sexual harassment or other potential employment law violations. There may also be laws that protect you against disparate treatment at work based on gender, religion or sexual orientation.
Were You Treated Differently from Others?
Generally speaking, managers will not ask employees out on dates or contact them using their personal cell phones. If you experience such behavior, it could be a sign of disparate treatment based on gender. If you are forced to remove an item of clothing because of it has a cross on it, that may be an example of disparate treatment based on your religious beliefs. These and similar actions may represent violations of employment law.
Were Accommodations Made to Overcome a Disability?
Employers are expected to make reasonable accommodations for workers who are disabled. This may mean altering a piece of equipment or putting an individual on light duty. If you did not receive these or similar accommodations, it may a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Did a Colleague or Manager Physically or Verbally Abuse You?
Employers must ensure that their workers are free from hostile working conditions. Hostile working conditions are generally defined as those that make it difficult for an employee to do his or her job properly. You may be the victim of such conditions if you are subjected to threats of violence or are subject to racial or other slurs. You may be entitled to take legal action whether the abuser was a manager or a colleague.
Did You Report a Workplace Violation?
It is not uncommon to see employers terminate a worker after reporting sexual harassment or other illegal activity. In some cases, you may receive poor performance reviews or another discipline as a pretense to justify a termination. However, an attorney such as those from Maurer Rifkin and Rubenstein may be able to show that a termination was illegal. Courts have ruled that the timing of disciplinary actions may be used to determine if a worker was let go as a retaliatory measure.
Those who have been mistreated at work may be entitled to compensation in the form of back pay or other damages. An attorney may be helpful in gathering evidence that shows an employer engaged in harassment or other activities that violated existing employment laws.
