My right to used company policy to protect me was violated

I filed 3 to5 harrassment compliants and i was giving a directive to only talk 1 person about it and where the harrassment policy states a list of staff members allowed and plus a open door policy alowed the same and no change of comand is required so my ? is I spoke to a another person allowed accored to the 2 policy for help and I was fired for not follow the directive giving can this be done thank you Ed

1 answer  |  asked Oct 20, 2003 06:41 AM [EST]  |  applies to Arizona

Answers (1)

Francis Fanning
It depends on what you mean by harrassment

Your question indicates that you complained of harassment. To determine if you have any recourse, it is important to know what kind of harassment you complained about. Sexual, racial, religious, age-based or disability based harassment violate the civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based upon sex, race, and so on. Under each of the federal and state civil rights laws you have the right to oppose discrimination (i.e. complain about it) without being punished. Your employer must allow you to make your complaint without following a particular "chain of command." On the other hand, generic harassment (the "I just don't like you" kind of treatment) is not unlawful, and when you complain about it, you run the risk of being punished. Company policies are not laws or binding promises in most cases, so the fact that the employer doesn't follow its own policy doesn't get you anywhere.
If your complaint was about unlawful discrimination, file a charge with the EEOC. If it was about generic harassment, you're probably out of luck.

posted by Francis Fanning  |  Oct 20, 2003 2:54 PM [EST]

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