In a world where the “bad guy” often gets away, it’s nice to hear a story when justice is served. One disabled veteran in St. Louis, Missouri, might not have justice yet, but they definitely have a strong case against their abusive employer for wrongly firing them. It all began when they made a detailed report to the HR team, exposing their employer for both workplace harassment and discrimination. It was no later than two weeks that the worker was fired without any reason, but not before they met with the HR team many times.
“When I presented my evidence (emails, pictures, chat logs, voice memos, etc.) HR and Legal were shocked that it was going on and told me without a doubt I had a solid case and it would be hard to deny,” the employee recalled on r/legaladvice. They met with HR several more times after the initial report, showing their sympathy and reassuring them that the discrimination would stop. It wasn’t long before managers suddenly wanted to speak with the employee as well, sharing the same reassurances. Several days after that, it was over.
“The same exact group of people pulled me in and fired me immediately. Gave me no explanation as to why,” the now ex-employee remarked. This was quite a big hit, as they had been in the company for over five years and had a managerial position, not to mention a spotless record and history of high performance.
The HR Team’s Questionable Shocked Reaction to the Report Was ‘Shocking’
Besides being fired over presumably the discrimination report, one Redditor believed something else was even more telling: “What’s shocking to me is that HR and Legal would let you know they were shocked, especially in a large company where they are likely well-trained and hired to remain placid during times when the employer is at risk.” In other words, it’s possible HR acted out a fake surprised reaction when the report came in.
“It sounds to me like this was a major case of retaliation,” says a commenter, and everything that has transpired appears to be pointing in that direction. And as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says, “Retaliation is not only illegal, it’s also bad for business.” The toxic company better have a solid legal team to protect itself once the ex-employee finds a good lawyer.
