Construction firm to pay $50K to settle claim it retaliated against HR manager for investigating harassment

Dive Brief

Pro Pallet allegedly chastised the HR manager for investigating the complaint, reassigned major parts of her job to others and excluded her from meetings.

Published July 19, 2024

First published on

Dive Brief:

• A Pennsylvania-based construction company agreed to pay $50,000 to settle allegations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that it retaliated against a human resources manager for investigating sexual harassment complaints against the company’s general manager, the agency announced Wednesday. 
• Pro Pallet allegedly chastised the HR manager for investigating the complaint; reassigned major parts of her job to others, such as hiring and posting positions, drafting reports and completing time and attendance tasks; and excluded her from company meetings, leading her to resign, according to court documents. Neither Pro Pallet nor its attorney could immediately be reached for comment. 
• Under the consent decree, the company cannot retaliate against workers who oppose company policies they believe are discriminatory; must amend its discrimination and retaliation policies; must provide training on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and must report future complaints of discrimination and retaliation to EEOC for the next three years, according to court documents.

Dive Insight:

EEOC alleged the company retaliated against the HR manager because she investigated complaints that the newly rehired general manager threatened to “corner” a female employee in the break room and pressed his body up against hers. The HR manager looked into that complaint, as well as complaints that the general manager left the door open while he used the restroom and exited the bathroom with his pants unbuttoned, in view of an employee’s desk, EEOC alleged. 

The company president allegedly only interviewed the general manager about the conduct and directed the HR manager to suggest the worker who was cornered change how she dresses for work. He also told the HR manager to “put to bed” the break room complaint, ordered her to stop the investigation and stopped speaking to her, EEOC alleged. 

EEOC said the alleged conduct is in violation of Title VII, which prohibits retaliation against employees who challenge employment practices. 

EEOC filed suit against Pro Pallet in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania July 2 in U.S. EEOC v. Pro Pallet, after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement. 

“This settlement provides fair compensation to the aggrieved employee and will benefit Pro Pallet and its workforce going forward. This case underscores the importance of maintaining workplaces free from retaliation, especially for human resources personnel tasked with protecting other workers from discrimination,” EEOC Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence said in a statement.