Which of the following is a communication that damages an individual's reputation in the community, preventing them from obtaining employment?

Gainsharing is a compensation strategy where employees share in the financial gains resulting from improved organizational performance, unrelated to reputation or communication.

Constructive discharge occurs when an employer makes working conditions so intolerable that a reasonable employee feels compelled to resign, not a communication damaging reputation.

Duty of loyalty is a legal obligation requiring employees or fiduciaries to act in the best interest of their employer or principal, not a form of harmful communication.

Defamation is the legal term for a false statement of fact communicated to a third party that injures another person's reputation. It encompasses both libel (written) and slander (spoken), and when it causes someone to lose employment opportunities or community standing, it may be actionable under tort law.