Toxic Workplace "Go Bag"

Here's what you need to do before you quit or are pushed out of your job. Keep copies of the following at home, off of work computer servers because you never know when an abusive employer might cut your computer access.

- Updated Resume

- Employee Handbook with Anti-discrimination Policy & Reporting Process

- Performance Evaluations

- Documentation of abuse, harassment, illegal practices (make reports specific to violated employment law)

- Documentation of your reports of abuse

- List of witnesses who saw you being abused

- Emails, phone calls, & meeting notes where your work was affirmed, appreciated, and celebrated

- Training evaluations, customer satisfaction surveys about your work

- Job description & offer letter

Be careful to not violate company intellectual property or other technology policies described in your employee handbook with the information you store at home.

Beware of meetings that seem like an ambush is about to take place. Bring a witness and record the meeting in a legal manner so that the recording could be admissible in court if you need it (i.e., some states require everyone consent to the recording while others only require one person’s consent).

Here is information about recording meetings by state. https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RECORDING-CONVERSATIONS-CHART.pdf

Send a follow-up email documenting what transpired in the meeting.

If you are fired, do not sign anything until you review the document with an attorney. There are free legal clinics where you can get quick advice. If you are part of a protected class of people (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, disability, religion) and have been discriminated against because of that identity, many employment discrimination lawyers often provide no cost consultation meetings.

Here is the website for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (federal office overseeing employment discrimination investigations at no cost) https://www.usa.gov/agencies/equal-employment-opportunity-commission