Small businesses face many challenges, and one of the biggest ones today is the number of employment-related discrimination claims and lawsuits that employees file against employers.

Many of these complaints involve charges of retaliation in which employees claim they were punished for alleging discrimination, or for participating in a discrimination proceeding against the employer.

In its latest report, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ays it received 39,757 retaliation claims in 2015. These claims resulted in $178.3 million in monetary benefits paid by employers. Many smaller businesses paid penalties and settlements.

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