If you live in Missouri, you have the right to not only fight against discrimination in the workplace, but to also remain secure in your job during and afterwards without facing retaliation for speaking up. Assuming you continue fulfilling your duties as they are outlined in your job description, you are lawfully shielded from being negatively targeted.
According to the Missouri Department of Labor, employees are provided retaliation protection. This protection covers individuals who have filed complaints about workplace discrimination. This can include race discrimination, sex and gender discrimination, disability discrimination and religious discrimination, amongst others.
The protection also extends to those who have shown opposition to discriminatory practices, brought attention to a violation, made a request that would eliminate discrimination or participated in any form of discrimination proceedings such as testifying as a witness or cooperating in the investigation. It also covers individuals who have an association with a person who has engaged in one of these activities.
The law against retaliation protects you from suffering adverse actions such as losing your job, being demoted, losing out on a promotion or working in a threatening or hostile environment.
In addition to being safe from retaliation by employer at your current job, it also makes it illegal for any other employers to retaliate due to your complaint of discrimination at a former job or any association you may have had with those involved.
While you are lawfully protected in cases where discrimination issues have come into play, other types of whistleblowing do not necessarily garner the same defenses from retaliation. It is important to research what falls under this umbrella to ensure retaliation protection does, indeed, relate to your case.
This post is meant as an educational resource and should not be mistaken for professional legal advice.
