What is Workplace Discrimination?
Workplace discrimination happens when an individual is discriminated against for any number of qualified unlawful reasons.
Examples:
·Advertising or posting of preferred candidates in a job hiring
·Not including qualified and potential employees in a recruitment process
·Unequal salaries for equally-skilled employees holding the same position
·Not granting some employees benefits and compensations due to them
·Discrimination on the assigning of maternity leave, disability, and even retirement benefits
·Disallowing the use of company facilities for unjust reasons
·Discrimination regarding promotions and retrenchments
Categories that are commonly affected in relation to the above reasons are:
Age, ethnicity, skin color, gender, race, nation of origin, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, parenthood, and so forth.
Why is Workplace Discrimination Illegal?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it against the law to discriminate the hiring, promotion, discharge, referral, and other areas of employment, using race, color, religion, gender, and national origin. Moreover, this law is enforced by the EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Affirmative action is then required of federal contractors in that they must comply and guarantee equal employment opportunities on all points concerned.
It would be beneficial for employees and employers alike to be aware of the provisions of this law. This is so that it creates an atmosphere of fairness and goodwill among employees. This then eventually translates to the increase in the company’s bottom line. Having said that, it would be wise for the employee to know when he or she would need the services of an employment lawyer, and even where to find one.
What is an Employment Lawyer?
An employment lawyer is someone that specializes in assisting both employee and employer on issues concerning state employment laws that may have been violated. They generally make sure that employees are treated fairly and consistently by their employers in compliance with laws about the workplace. Some of the specific legal issues that are handled by an employment lawyer are workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, violation of contract, and so forth.
When Is It Time for You to Hire an Employment Lawyer?
If you find yourself and your employer in a situation that you believe is not lawful and possibly downright illegal, it’s time to hire an employment lawyer. Here are some of the actual scenarios that could occur in some of the legal disputes:
·The employer practices unfair hiring processes like being discriminating due to age or sexual orientation, or due to other qualified reasons as stated by law
·Illegal termination from your job.
·You were discriminated on and harassed by the employer for no good reason
·You are being forced to sign a waiver to rescind your rights on a particular matter by which ordinarily you would be entitled to.
·Your benefits are being withheld contrary to what was stated in your contract.
·You are fired for being gay or transgender
These are just some of the scenarios that will indicate that you will be needing an employment lawyer’s services, and finding one would mean looking into firms that have a good reputation. A good referral from a trusted friend works fine too.
On the flip side, if you are a business that is being wrongfully accused of any of these practices it is important to be protected as well. While most states will have very similar discrimination laws, check with a local firm to make sure your laws in your area are followed properly. Finding Denver business attorneys for Colorado, etc.
