The High Cost of Getting Even: Understanding and Investigating Retaliation Claims
Retaliation complaints are some of the most common in the workplace. Investigating retaliation claims involves a balancing of the employer’s legitimate business reasons for the employment action and the employee’s belief that he or she was retaliated against for some unlawful or inappropriate reason. This session will focus on what retaliation is and isn’t under key laws and will provide a framework on how to conduct an analysis of the facts and reach a reasoned conclusion. In this session, you will:
- Learn what retaliation is and is not under various laws.
- Learn how to effectively investigate retaliation claims and gain a better understanding of the standards for proving retaliation.
- Learn how to analyze and balance facts and witness credibility to make reasoned findings.
Allison West, Esq., SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH
Allison West is an employment attorney by background and for over 20 years has assisted employers in creating and maintaining safe and respectful work environments.
She focuses her practice on delivering customized workplace training, conducting workplace investigations, coaching executives/managers concerning performance or disciplinary issues as well as leadership topics, and serves as an expert witness. Allison also specializes in using her mediation skills to help individuals and groups to work through conflicts and create more collaborative work environments.
Allison is a top-rated speaker at the SHRM Annual Conference as well as other HR/diversity conferences, and is a national expert on harassment, discrimination and investigations. She has appeared on PBS, CBS This Morning and in O Magazine discussing workplace harassment issues.
She is a member of the State Bar of California and holds her SHRM-SCP certification and AWI-CH (investigation) certificate.