You deserve to work in an environment that is safe and supportive. You shouldn’t have to worry about being subjected to discrimination or harassment, or how your employer will react if you report such egregious behavior. Yet, if you’re reading this post, then you’ve probably already been subjected to discriminatory or harassing behavior, and your work and your career may be suffering as a result.
Know how to build your case
As stressful and unfair as that may be, there are steps that you can take to better position yourself for legal action. By doing so, you may be able to hold your employer accountable and recover the compensation that you’re owed. Here are some of those steps:
- Talk to witnesses who have heard or observed the discriminatory or harassing behavior, making sure to write down what they observed as well as their contact information
- Take notes about each time that you’ve been subjected to inappropriate behavior, that way your recollection is clear
- Retain all correspondences with your employer in regard to the discriminatory or harassing behavior, that way you can clearly show your reporting and how your employer responded
- Build up a strong employment record and gather evidence to support it, such as work appraisals
By taking these steps, you can generate some of the evidence that you may need to support a legal claim if your employer has taken or will take an adverse employment action against you.
Be prepared so that your voice can be heard
Far too often, victims of discrimination and harassment have their voices muted by their employer. Don’t let that happen to you. You deserve to be heard and find accountability for what you’ve gone through. So, if you’re ready, then consider your next steps for building the case that you deserve and need to protect your employee rights.