Employer misconduct and retaliation occur in many different ways. Sometimes, if you report wrongdoing to a regulatory agency or make a complaint about harassment to management, the company will write you up and fire you shortly afterward.
However, not all businesses are so transparent in their retaliation against their workers. Often, employers make someone’s life miserable after they file a complaint or ask for accommodations. The goal may be to drive the person away from the company. You may feel like you want to quit if your co-workers or employer have recently targeted you.
Unfortunately, quitting could affect your legal rights.
Staying employed can help you build a case
The first and most obvious issue with quitting your job while dealing with employer abuse or retaliation is that it limits what damages you can claim. Holding out until your employer wrongly terminates you may give you the option of demanding more compensation from them later.
When you still work at the company, you also have an ongoing opportunity to access your internal email records and keep a journal of all of the ways your supervisor or coworkers create a hostile work environment. However difficult it may be to stay at the company, you will usually have the easiest time to build the claim and the ability to seek more compensation when you stay at a company even when the work environment turns toxic.
Learning more about employment laws and your rights when dealing with retaliatory behaviors by your employer can help you take action to protect your career and hold your employer accountable.