Is your employer suddenly treating you differently after you filed a complaint or participated in a workplace investigation? You might be experiencing workplace retaliation – that is a serious violation of both Virginia and federal law.
When your employer punishes you for speaking up about workplace problems or exercising your legal rights, that is retaliation. This includes reporting safety issues, filing discrimination complaints or helping coworkers with their complaints.
Not sure if you are facing retaliation? Here are five common warning signs:
Sudden negative performance reviews
You used to get stellar performance reviews. Now, after filing a complaint, your work is suddenly “poor.” This timing could indicate retaliation. Watch for abrupt changes in how your employer notices your work.
Exclusion from meetings or projects
Your employer used to include you in important meetings and key projects. Suddenly, you’re left out of email chains and removed from assignments you typically handle. This “freezing out” tactic often aims to push you aside and diminish your role at work.
Schedule changes or reduced hours
Your once-stable work schedule has unexpectedly changed. Your employer might cut your hours, deny previously approved time off or assign you unfavorable shifts. When these changes happen without valid business reasons after you have spoken up, it often signals retaliation.
Unusual monitoring of work
Your supervisor has started watching your every move. They document minor mistakes that they ignore when others make them. This increased scrutiny and selective enforcement of rules, especially after you have filed a complaint, suggests retaliatory intent.
Hostile treatment
The workplace atmosphere has turned cold. Your coworkers avoid you, criticism increases, and hostile remarks become common. This pattern of negative treatment creates a hostile work environment, another form of retaliation.
What should you do?
If you notice these signs, document everything: dates, incidents, witnesses and communications. Save emails, messages and important papers. Virginia law protects you, but time limits apply. Consider talking to an employment lawyer who can help protect your rights. They can help you understand your rights and fight back against illegal retaliation.
Remember, speaking up about workplace issues is your right. Do not let fear of retaliation stop you from doing what is right.