Retaliation After Reporting Sexual Harassment
First, What Exactly is Retaliation?
Retaliation is the petty cousin of revenge in the workplace. It occurs when a upper-level management punishes a lower-level employee for advocating for themselves, such as reporting sexual harassment. Retaliation can not only come from the harasser that you have reported, but also from other upper-level managers who are trying to protect the harasser.
Much like sexual harassment, retaliation can also be difficult to immediately recognize. Because supervisors are at the top of a power-differential, they can use this status to justify altered behavior towards an employee.
After I reported sexual harassment to my supervisor, he began making retaliatory statements during staff meetings, such as “Kendall’s desk will be open in March” — subtle, right? He also began a series of micro-aggression and intimidation tactics by continually criticizing me for insignificant concerns. These are fairly obvious examples, but retaliation can also take on many other forms, including:
Withholding pay increases/promotions
Unfair performance reviews
Increased workloads
Unfair scheduling
Unjustified transfer/relocations
Increased micro-management
Termination
What Can You Do?
If you think you are being retaliated against by your employer, here are some key points to help you navigate the situation:
Report to Management
Much like sexual harassment, you can confront your supervisor about their retaliatory behavior. Remember that your well-being is your top priority, and you are the only one that will know if confronting your supervisor will significantly impact your well-being. If it will, no worries. I, personally, confronted my supervisor regarding his retaliation and (in hindsight) wish I hadn’t because: 1) it did not stop his retaliation; and 2) it was….well, traumatizing. Again, remember it is not your responsibility to teach a supervisor how to respectfully speak and behave towards you!
Report to Upper-Level Management
I strongly encourage you to contact the next level of leadership. And then the next. I know that this may seem intimidating, but do not let fear of upper-level management keep you in a hostile work environment. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so do not be afraid to be a squeaky wheel until your issue is resolved. You are your greatest advocate and champion.
Document, Document, Document!
Again, just as you have documented your sexual harassment experience, document all incidents of retaliation, as well as all communication with upper-level management, in as much detail as possible. Add each event to your on-going log. Take diligent notes of all meetings and send follow-up emails summarizing each topic covered, plans of action, etc. And as always, save emails, texts, and online chat messages. I cannot stress this enough.
Know When to Take Legal Action
An employer’s main duty is to provide a safe working environment, both physically and mentally. If supervisors are failing to protect your safety, by either not ending the sexual harassment, or actively contributing to the hostile work environment through retaliation, then they are failing to do their job. If your concerns are continually dismissed, this may be indicative of a company or agency with a high tolerance for harassment and retaliation. If so, I highly recommend contacting an EEO Counselor to discuss your situation as soon as possible.
Communicate!
You are also likely not the only person struggling with this in the company. Given this, frequent communication with others in the company that have been affected by the same issues is all the more important.
If you are experiencing, sexual harassment, retaliation, or any other form of workplace discrimination, feel free to reach out to me at hello@kendallsimon.com for support and guidance.
***Disclaimer: These are merely my recommendations based on my personal experience. I am not legally responsible for any decisions made based on the information provided.***