Which situation is an example of retaliation?

• A. A worker is demoted after participating in an investigation of harassment
• B. A worker is given a promotion after reporting harassment
• C. A worker's hours are reduced due to budget cuts nonrelated to harassment
• D. A worker is reassigned for unrelated performance issues

Answer: (A)

Retaliation happens when an employee faces a negative action specifically because they engaged in a protected activity, such as reporting harassment or participating in an investigation. In this example, the worker is demoted after taking part in a harassment investigation, which shows a punitive change tied directly to that protected action. The other scenarios don’t fit retaliation: a promotion after reporting harassment is actually a positive outcome, while actions like hours being reduced for budget reasons or a reassignment for unrelated performance issues are not connected to the protected activity.