Being treated unfairly at work can have a devasting effect on your performance and morale. It is disheartening to realize that all your work and effort do not bring you the compensation or appreciation you deserve. Thankfully, legislators have been working for decades to make professional environments fair and safe for everyone. Fair treatment in the workplace is a legal right and knowing and defending your rights is critical.
Here are a few essential tips to help you handle unfair treatment at work.
Communicate Your Grievances
When it comes to unfair treatment, it can be a good idea to give the other person the benefit of the doubt, whether it is your boss or a coworker. Communicate your grievances directly to the person involved, your supervisor, or the HR team. Do not talk about feelings; instead, refer to facts, actions, and words that you deem reflective of negative bias against you.
Communicating your complaints can be an excellent way to clarify the situation. Maybe the person treating you unfairly isn’t doing it on purpose, in which case you can solve the conflict with proper communication. However, if your complaints do not get the attention they deserve, you will have to go a step further.
Get Advice
Being treated unfairly at work can mean many different things. Is your boss denying you a promotion or vacation time? Do you get hostile or demeaning comments or remarks about your gender, race, nationality, religion, or ethnicity from your coworkers or supervisor? Do you get more responsibilities than your coworkers for the same pay? These are all examples of unfair and potentially illegal treatment. If you are in any of these situations, you need advice from an impartial supervisor or the HR team.
Talk to an Employment Lawyer
When unfair treatment in the workplace takes the form of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, or withheld wages, the best course of action is to talk to a lawyer. To get legal counsel from top lawyers specialized in employment law, contact HKM in Birmingham AL. You will learn everything you need to know about your rights as an employee and how to protect them.
Hiring an employment lawyer is sometimes the only way to get out of a delicate situation in the workplace. This step is critical if your employer is responsible for the unfair or discriminatory behavior you want to address. A lawyer can tell you if there are grounds for a lawsuit and help you obtain a fair settlement.
Gather Evidence
An excellent way to back up your complaints in front of an impartial mediator is to gather evidence of unfair treatment. Documenting the incidents is the surest way to convince external parties that you are the victim of unjust or discriminatory behavior.
Communicate in writing and keep track of all conversations. Ensure there’s someone else in the room when you talk with the person treating you poorly. Save emails, internal memos, texts, and voicemails that contain evidence of unprofessional behavior. The evidence will serve as leverage in the settlement process.
Conclusion
Labor laws help employees fight discrimination, abuse, and exploitation. Do not let unfair treatment at work go unpunished.
