Have you ever thought about leaving your job after being embarrassed or ridiculed by a co-worker? David Disotel did, and he won a years pay for it.
Disotel was reprimanded by Kraft Canada for gossiping about his manager’s ex-wife, while off the clock.  He complained to HR multiple times about the ridicule that followed from employees, and was paternally told that if he ignored the comments, they would go away.  When nothing was done, Disotel told management that he had retained a lawyer and was considering filing a harassment claim.  Managements response was the threat of termination; Disotel’s response was sick leave, and a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal.
If a situation escalates to the point that an employee retains a lawyer to have his voice heard, it’s probably time to start paying attention.  Stomaching what you might think is a pointless investigation is far less costly than paying damages in court for failing to do anything.
Read more about this case in Daniel Lublin’s weekly column in the Metro.