The Importance of Documenting Workplace Issues for Legal Protection

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Documenting workplace issues is a critical step in protecting your rights and the rights of other employees in your company. Read below to understand why it is important to document your workplace issues and how doing so can benefit you if things escalate. 

Establishing a Record of Events

When issues arise in the workplace, written documentation is important because it creates a time-stamped record of incidents or disputes. This is why most companies have forms to fill out if there are injuries or other issues that arise in the work environment. If your company does not have this kind of form, you should still write down the details of an incident in the moments afterward while the details are fresh.

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Some examples of incidents to keep a record of are discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, injury, and unsafe working conditions. If you jot down all of the details you remember from the incident and sign and date that document, then it can be very helpful down the line if the workplace issue becomes more severe.

Providing Evidence

Utilizing evidence like surveillance videos and email exchanges will help you if you have to build a case around your workplace issue. For more severe scenarios like serious injury or blatant harassment, finding evidence to back up your claim that something bad has happened to you in your workplace can be the most important part of the investigation. If you need assistance in the area of gathering evidence, the folks at https://punchworklaw.com/ suggest looking for employment lawyers who can walk you through how to collect evidence and build a case for yourself. Suppose you are still working at the company where you experienced the issues. In that case, you can discreetly seek out evidence and use resources like your work email to search for any past conversations that could count as evidence. 

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Even if your workplace issue does not go as far as taking it to court, you will still need to provide evidence to human resources so that they can help you resolve the problem. Anything could count as evidence, so try to gather as much as you can so that you can build a strong case for your rights.

Supporting Internal Complaints

Instead of jumping straight to calling a lawyer, it is often required that you take the complaint through internal processes first. Although this might seem daunting because you will likely be reporting an issue with a superior in the company, the HR department should be discreet and will handle the issue without having to bring in the accused party if possible. Having an internal investigation first also means that there will be extensive documentation of the issue that will be very useful if it is later escalated into a legal problem. 

Preventing Retaliation

Thoroughly documenting incidents can deter employers from retaliating against you. When employers know a record exists and that an employee has been harassed in some way in the past, they will be less likely to take actions like demotion or dismissal. This is important because some corrupt companies will see a workplace issue arise and instead of acknowledging it, they will just dismiss the victim of the harassment so that they do not have to deal with all of the paperwork. This is unjust and unacceptable and nowadays there are many employment laws preventing something like this from happening. 

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For example, if there is a workplace incident where a superior employee engages in inappropriate harassment of an inferior employee and there is no documentation of the case, the superior could gaslight the inferior employee and eventually force them out. If the inferior employee does have documentation and evidence of the bad behavior, though, then they have the upper hand. They can go straight to HR and report the incident and then it will be on record. The superior could be given a warning or face more serious consequences like termination, leaving the victim of the incident safe from repercussions.  

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Encouraging Resolution

Sharing documented issues with management or HR often prompts a faster result. The sooner you go through these channels with your workplace issue, the better because it will provide a clear and organized understanding of the events. The longer you wait, the more ambiguous the event becomes and there will be more confusion surrounding the issue. 

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Report workplace issues the same day if possible if not in the same week. This way if you need to bring in witnesses or write down a report, it will be fresh in everyone’s mind. This will also show your employers that you are determined to find a resolution as soon as possible.

Best Practices for Documenting Workplace Issues

Once a workplace issue occurs, these are the steps you should take so that all bases are covered. 

Be Timely

As stated above, the sooner the better when it comes to resolving a workplace issue. Do not harbor the issue inside, instead bring it to someone in authority as soon as you can. This also means recording the details of the incident immediately after it happens. If there were coworkers present who could be witnesses, it is important to get statements from them immediately as well.

Be Objective

Although many workplace issues can bring out emotions, it is important to stick to the facts when reporting the problem as you will be taken more seriously that way. 

Include Details

Include as many details about the incident as possible, even if they seem insignificant. You never know what details will end up being important in the investigation of the issue.  

Keep Copies

Store all records securely and keep copies that you can bring home so that you can ensure they are kept safe from anyone in the workplace who might try to get rid of them. Storing copies outside of the workplace is also essential in the case that you leave that job but still need access to the documents for legal action down the line. 

Use Official Channels

If possible, report issues through official work channels like work emails or communication apps and retain copies of all of the communications during this time. 

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Like with many issues in life, workplace issues cannot be resolved if there is no evidence that they occurred in the first place. Documenting the evidence of a workplace issue as well as the correspondence that happens in relation to the issue will help you protect your rights if you end up having to bring the issue to management or the courts.

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