A person who believes they have been discriminated against while applying for a job or in the workplace after being hired has legal protections to pursue with the help of a good law firm. There are many kinds of discrimination that are prohibited by federal laws, including discrimination because of race, age, gender, disability, religion, political affiliation, marital status, or national origin. Federal agencies must meet Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules.
What Are Warning signs Of Workplace Discrimination?
A person who feels they have a case for a workplace discrimination lawsuit should visit The Hughey Law Firm for advice and help. But, what are signs of discrimination to look for?
1. Finding out other people doing the same job receive more pay
2. Believing promotions are given unfairly. This could be that all men are in management positions or people with fewer qualifications are given promotions over certain groups of people.
3. Unfair or derogatory references to age.
4. Inappropriate questions at job interviews with references to race, sex, age, etc. Questions that are obviously based on a bias.
5. Uncomfortable, demeaning communications with supervisors or other employees. This could be offensive jokes and comments, hostile behavior, and being spoken to in a harsh or demeaning tone.
6. Supervisors give you undeserved criticism or unfair disciplinary actions which could be part of a plan to terminate you unfairly.
These and other signs of discrimination can happen on a regular basis and should be documented. When you notice a pattern of discriminatory actions at the workplace, document them as they happen noting the person responsible and the time of each incident. Seek legal advice as soon as possible. A lawyer can recommend a plan of action for a person to follow if discrimination is occurring.
What Can A Person Do?
Once you are sure there is discrimination affecting your work experience, there are some steps you can take. Act with the help and advice of a lawyer. If you really like the job you have, you can go through the company’s complaint process in an effort to correct the bad actions of fellow workers or supervisors. You will need proof of this discrimination for the complaint. Again, document each incident as it happens.
This may or may not solve the problem. There are other steps to consider.
- Don’t leave yourself open to total loss of income should you be forced to quit or are unfairly terminated. Start quietly looking for another job or find a way to earn side money, such as a part-time job or a part-time business. By doing so you will still have some income if the job ends.
- Start saving part of every paycheck in an emergency fund in case the job ends. Saving enough to cover your bills for a few months is a good idea.
- Consider starting with your manager and discussing the discrimination with them. This works best if they are not the guilty party.
- File a complaint with the company Human Resource department or person. You will need to give them documentation of what is happening.
- If HR is not helpful or responsive to your complaint, move up the ladder to the EEOC or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Once this is done, you can go on to file a discrimination lawsuit against the employer with the help of your attorney.
Proving workplace discrimination is difficult and, in the end, you may be forced to find another job. Having the help of an attorney can make the whole process easier and more effective.