Answer: engaged in undesirable treatment short of terminating him
Explanation: A supervisor subjecting his worker to undesirable treatment which can be overt or subtle, such as demotion, reduction in salary, reassignment, negative job actions etc. without outright termination is often humiliating, demoralizing and a basis for protests and revolts. Such an instance or situation is more likely to lead to lawsuits against the organisation known as a retaliation suit in protest against unfair treatment on an employee for engaging in activities that are legally protected (which forms the basis of retaliation lawsuit).