Many employees think that they have to deal with whatever conditions are present in a workplace. This isn’t the case. Employees don’t have to deal with any form of discrimination or retaliation. It is important for all workers to know what various terms related to these points mean.
Discrimination means that you are treated unfairly based on a protected status. Gender, race, disabilities and closely held religious beliefs are some of the protected statuses. In California, sexual orientation is also a protected status.
Retaliation is a negative reaction by the employer or a supervisor based on you asserting your rights as an employee. This could be because you filed a sexual harassment complaint or alerted the authorities to something illegal going on in the business. Some of the retaliatory measures that employers might take include demoting you, terminating your employment, or moving you to a less desirable shift or position.
Wrongful termination means that you are fired for a protected reason. Even though California is an at will employment state, meaning that an employer doesn’t have to have a reason to terminate your employment, the employer can’t fire you for an illegal reason. For example, firing you because of your race isn’t allowed and neither is firing you because you filed a valid workers’ compensation claim.
When discrimination, retaliation or wrongful termination occur, you have the right to pursue legal action. This might help you to get the situation rectified. It could also help you to be compensated for the problem. Understand the rights that you have in this regard so that you can handle things accordingly.
Source: FindLaw, “Retaliation and wrongful termination,” accessed July 21, 2017