It is very important for employers to not take retaliatory actions against employees for reporting wrongful workplace discrimination. Wrongful workplace discrimination can be very harmful and no employee should be punished for making a complaint about it.

Recently, a case from California involving allegations of wrongful workplace discrimination and retaliation was settled. The case involved a janitorial services company.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claimed that Latino janitors who worked for the company in San Francisco were subjected to discriminatory treatment by supervisors with the company. The EEOC further alleged that the company took wrongful retaliatory actions after some of the above-mentioned Latino janitors complained to the EEOC about the alleged discrimination.

The EEOC brought a lawsuit against the janitorial services company in connection to these allegations. The EEOC and the company recently reached a settlement in regards to this lawsuit. According to a press release on the EEOC's website, in this settlement, the company agreed to make a monetary payment. Also, as part of the settlement, the company reportedly will institute certain workplace discrimination-related policies and training.

Employees should not be retaliated against for making complaints about wrongful workplace discrimination. Such retaliation can cause great harm to the employee who is retaliated against and can discourage workers from reporting wrongful workplace discrimination, which in turn could allow such discrimination to go on in a workplace unaddressed. Thus, one hopes that employers are held accountable when they engage in actions like those alleged in the recently settled case mentioned above.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, "EEOC and ABM Industries Settle Discrimination and Retaliation Case for Latino Workers," Sept. 14, 2011