Many companies have policies in place that explain workplace retaliation and how it is to be handled. Some companies have a zero-tolerance stance on such an issue. Others tend to look the other way. Even with a policy in place, an employee can still find him or herself being retaliated against for one reason or another. So, how is workplace retaliation prevented?
For starters, every workplace should have some sort of policy outlining workplace retaliation and why it is not welcome. The policy should note that retaliation is banned and will never be tolerated. The policy should also include information for employees seeking to file a report. The investigation into those reports should also be mentioned in the policy.
Every workplace should take all complaints of employee retaliation seriously. Even if they seem to be exaggerated, they should still be investigated. A complete investigation should be performed for every complaint received about retaliation. The investigation should be documented, along with the outcome, and any evidence that has been collected.
All complaints should be kept confidential. Any information that is shared should only be done so with trusted members of the company who are taking part in the investigation.
All records involving the complaint, including the investigation, should be kept securely somewhere in the office or on the cloud. This will help in the event that legal action is taken by an employee at a later time as the employee will likely want to view the file created for his or her complaint.
Do you believe you’ve been retaliated against at work in Silver Spring? An experienced employment law attorney will be able to analyze your case and provide you with the proper guidance for the next steps.