You don’t just feel unappreciated at work — you feel downright ignored. After repeated discussions with your supervisor, you filed a complaint with human resources over your co-worker’s sexual harassment. Now, you are seen as the office pariah.
You’re afraid that your boss sees you as a troublemaker who “doesn’t know how to get along” with your co-workers on the team, and you’re worried you’re about to be unlawfully dismissed. You may be right.
Signs that your termination is coming
Most of the time, employers aren’t bold enough to outright tell you they’re firing you because you filed a harassment complaint — since that’s your right. Instead, they drop a few comments about how they need “team players” with a pointed look your way. Some other potential signs could include the following:
- You suddenly aren’t needed for important projects in which you’d normally be included.
- You find critical work being shifted to other employees, leaving you with mostly “busy work.”
- You’re suddenly asked to provide documentation about your work that you never had to provide before — like detained time and productivity reports.
- You find that you’re left out of the loop when it comes to important news.
- You’re handed new work that is exceptionally difficult or time-consuming.
- You’re suddenly given a negative performance review and receive a verbal or written warning about certain “behavior” in the office.
Finally, if you get placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP), you can definitely read that as a precursor to dismissal. That’s almost always an employer’s attempts to document the “problems” they have with an employee.
However, if you believe that you’re about to be wrongfully dismissed, you don’t simply have to sit by and take it. You have rights under the law. If you are in fact fired for an erroneous reason, seeking help from a legal professional can help examine your situation and determine recourse options is the next step.
