Local Law Firms Home > Employment Law Overview > Union Discipline or Demotion When somebody does something wrong in the workplace, if they are not terminated, they are often disciplined in one way or another. If an employee is not living up to his or her occupational duties but still proves to be a good quality worker, he or she may be demoted instead of being fired. While these may be justifiable reasons for being demoted or disciplined, there is sometimes unfair discipline or demotion that occurs in the workplace.
One way that somebody may be disciplined in the workplace is by receiving a warning or not being awarded a bonus. This may occur for a number of justifiable reasons—for example, perhaps the worker was late an excessive amount of times, or acted out in a rude manner. Perhaps he or she used language or acted in such a way that is intolerable in a professional environment. However, an example of unfair discipline can occur if a manager and a employee have a personal disagreement about something, an employee does not respond favorably to an employer’s sexual advances, or the manager discriminates against a worker’s religion, gender, age, or sexual orientation. These can also be reasons for an unfair demotion. Did you know? A demotion, just as the name would suggest, is the opposite of a promotion. While a promotion means a more important job that often comes with a higher salary, a demotion means a less important job that usually accompanies a pay cut. While some people are justifiably demoted (this is sometimes an alternative to overall job termination) there are times when it is unfair. |