When an employment discrimination claim leads to retaliation

The actions of your employer, supervisors and fellow employees may have seemed subtle at first, but after a while, you began to suspect that something else was happening. It all started after you made a claim regarding employment discrimination. After all, it is your right under federal and New York laws to make such a complaint if you believe you are a victim of it.

However, as the claim moved through its paces, the atmosphere around work began to change. Perhaps your annual evaluation came up after you made your complaint. You had always received good or high marks, but this time, your evaluation claims that your performance is poor despite the fact that the way you do your job has not changed since your last evaluation.

Maybe the company took away a promotion you received, along with the benefits that accompanied it. You may even have been fired in the wake of a discrimination complaint. These are some of the more obvious methods of retaliation. Many can be more difficult to discern. You may only have a “gut feeling” that things are different now.

Federal and state laws protect you when you come forward about potential discrimination. Such laws prohibit any retaliatory actions at work. Even so, your employer may be counting on you not saying anything. After all, you need your job.

If you believe that you are being retaliated against because you made a complaint about employment discrimination, you have rights. In fact, if you have not yet made a complaint, you may want to discuss the circumstances with a New York employment law attorney before moving forward. He or she can advise you of your rights, what to look for in terms of potentially retaliatory actions and advise you on preserving any evidence of such activities in case it is needed.

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