A supervisor is going over an evaluation with an employee. An employee is discussing their evaluation with a supervisor.

A Textbook Case

The most common situation in which an employer will face a retaliation claim is when an employee who has received "good" to "excellent" performance reviews in the past files a harassment complaint or participates in an investigation.

Then, in their next performance review or evaluation, the complaining party receives sharply lower scores. In other words, a problem arises when a former rising star and team player files a complaint and then is evaluated as performing at an unacceptable level.