So for context, I work at a company where we basically build special camera rigs that we send to medical companies. My bosses never seemed to really like me, my coworkers had always mentioned how hard they were on me for no reason, chewing me out, hanging over me, calling me out in front of our department and never letting me explain why I did something, so I reported my managers to HR about 4 months into the job saying I was deeply uncomfortable. Mind you we also had an open office so my boss everyday would question what I was doing even though we had shipment emails every week. HR did nothing but my boss stopped talking to me as much so I held my tongue.
One of the guys who had been their for a few years left and I got the bulk of his shipments/builds. For reference one build could have ten shipments in a week which includes, getting equipment, building the system, getting serial numbers, doing paperwork, sending emails, etc. So this can take a long time. We also had invented a brand new device that I was basically in charge of which took hours to build. So every day for two or three months I had been staying late to get some extra work done, no big deal. Then one weekend I took off for two days to go see my friends for their mutual birthdays. I had always been told, do your best to get work done ahead of time but we will handle your shipments while your out.
Halfway through that day my manager emails me saying, get all of your work done for the next two days. This leaves me confused because when I told them earlier that day I'd try my best to be available for any questions of the devices my boss told me I was gonna be on vacation and that I should not be bothered, which I appreciated. So I work as much as I can, then my department head finds me on my lunch break and says, “are you going to have your shipments done” to which I say, “I should be able to buy I'm not sure.” He says ok, and goes on his way. Turns out my bosses gave me some broken equipment which set my work back a good two hours (they both leave early) so I stay an extra hour and a half late to get as much as I can done and I'm meant to pick up my partner an hour ago so I clean up my desk and run out of their.
I come back in Monday, everything seems fine, shipments are handled, no big deal, asked my coworkers if there were any problems, I thank them for handling my work.
TUESDAY MY DEPARTMENT HEAD COMES IN (mind you he's not in the office half the time, doesn't know what's happening in the department, very demanding, etc.) He comes in and just starts REAMING ME OUT in front of the entire department. Saying I said I would definitely have the shipments done, I should have sent an email (I don't have a work email on my phone) that I should be ashamed and embarrassed, that I am an immature ass, I should apologize to my coworkers, etc.
Now I feel like a piece of shit because I was just sidelined by this, meanwhile I have twice as many shipments going out that very day, so it throws me off my groove. But I know I have to stand up my self and this is the reason why another guy left our department in the first place.
So I go to HR, tell them what happened, say I want a transfer, and that it was completely demeaning and inappropriate from my manager. HR says they'll look into it, I followed up with her two days later and she ignored my emails.
ONE WEEK LATER my boss calls me into a conference room, the HR women I reported him to is sitting their and he fires me on the spot.
I truly could not believe it, I even asked the HR woman, “so I guess nothing came from that report?” She looks my in the eyes and says, “I would have told you if anything did.” MEANWHILE one of my coworkers told me he reported my boss to HR for chewing me out!!!
TLDR: I got fired a week after I reported my boss to HR.
Honestly my job field is so rough right now (I work in film normally) and I just got a new car so I could get to and from this job. I've been told to reach out to a lawyer about being fired as retribution for reporting him. Do I seem crazy? Does anyone have thoughts on anything else I should do as legal action for being fired for something like this?