A workplace problem: what to record and who to ask
Build a factual timeline, explain the outcome you want, and choose a service that handles your type of problem.
Prepared 3 October 2026 · General preparation, with location-specific official links below.
First, find your location
Your work location, employment status and issue determine the applicable route. Open the relevant country and confirm its coverage.
United States
Check where the work took place and the federal, state or local rule. Wage claims and discrimination charges use different services.
- DOL · Wage and Hour complaints ↗
- DOL · State labour offices ↗
- EEOC · Employment discrimination charges ↗
California wage issue? Use the DLSE route for that state.
United Kingdom
Acas covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland has a separate Labour Relations Agency. Check the relevant route and claim deadline.
Canada
First check whether your employer is federally regulated. Otherwise use the relevant province or territory, not Ontario by default. ROE and EI are separate federal services.
Ontario provincial employment or British Columbia? These provincial routes are separate from federal employment standards.
Australia
Fair Work Ombudsman deals with national-system pay and minimum entitlements. The Fair Work Commission handles separate dismissal and other applications; verify your coverage and the correct service.
China · Mainland
Use the actual work location and relevant local service. Labour inspection, employment dispute arbitration and social-insurance issues may use different routes; ask 12333 or the local department to confirm.
Gather these facts
- Dates, exact words or actions, and whether you observed them directly or heard about them.
- Your original messages, relevant policies, lawful evidence references and prior responses.
- What changed after a complaint or leave request, the recipient and any case reference.
Separate observations from interpretations
Use “on this date, this happened” before labels such as retaliation, harassment or unfair dismissal. Record the context, who was notified and what changed. A sequence is useful evidence, but this tool does not decide the legal category or strength of a case.
State the outcome and preserve a lawful copy
Ask for a practical outcome: a corrected payslip, written expectations, investigation, an adjustment or a written explanation. Index the relevant documents and responses. Keep only material you may lawfully retain; do not copy trade secrets, other people’s personal records or secretly record a meeting without checking local rules.
Choose a route and check its deadline
Payroll, a manager, HR, a union and an external authority perform different roles. Use an alternative recipient if the usual contact is involved or it is unsafe to approach them. Check official coverage and deadlines promptly. Internal conversations should not be assumed to pause an external filing deadline. If there is an immediate threat, seek local emergency help.
A worked example
Example: you raised a pay question on Monday and received a suspension notice on Friday. Keep both messages, their dates, the stated reason and the recipient of the original question. Ask the appropriate authority what further facts it needs; the sequence alone is not a verdict.
Tools for this problem
Check the current official process
Scope, eligibility, required evidence and filing deadlines differ. Use the official pages above and get appropriate advice about a dispute. These are our practical preparation guides, not official translations or a finding of wrongdoing.
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