Employment discrimination is the mistreatment of an employee by an employer due to the employee’s membership in a protected class. There are several types of employment discrimination, including:
- Race discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Age discrimination
- National origin discrimination
- Ethnicity discrimination
- Gender discrimination
- Pregnancy status discrimination
If you believe you are a victim of employment discrimination, you should contact an employment discrimination attorney as soon as possible. Below, we examine the steps to take if you’re a victim of employment discrimination.
Employment Discrimination Steps to Take
If you are a victim of employment discrimination, you should take the following steps to ensure that your legal case is as strong as possible:
Make detailed notes: First, write down each incident of discrimination you’ve experienced in the workplace. Be sure to include the date, time, details, and whether any witnesses observed the incident.
Gather documentation: You should also keep copies of any documents or letters you send to your employer regarding the discrimination or any correspondence you receive from your employer that may be relevant to your case.
Make an internal complaint: Next, make a discrimination complaint at work to the appropriate department or person. Be sure to make your complaint in writing, as a verbal complaint will be harder to prove down the road. Maintain a copy of your complaint for your records.
Follow your employer’s grievance procedure: If your employer has a grievance procedure, you should follow it. This applies even if you don’t believe your employer will be responsive to your concerns. By following your employer’s grievance procedure, you’ll later have proof that you first attempted to resolve the issue internally.
Don’t sign any documents. Beyond signing your complaint, don’t sign any documents given to you by your employer regarding your accusations of employment discrimination. By doing so, you run the risk of inadvertently waiving your legal rights.
File an external complaint. In addition to complaining internally, you can file one or more complaints with external entities that investigate employment discrimination accusations. For example, you may file an official complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). If you file a complaint with EEOC, you must do so within 300 days of the last act of employment discrimination you experienced. You may file an EEOC complaint on your own or with the assistance of an attorney. Before filing an internal or external complaint, you should contact an employment discrimination attorney to discuss the merits of your case.
Contact an Employment Discrimination Attorney
Before you take any action related to your employment discrimination claim, you should contact an employment discrimination attorney for assistance. At Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, LLC, our experienced attorneys provide legal representation to the victims of workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other unlawful employment practices. As passionate advocates for workplace justice, our experienced employment discrimination attorneys will do everything in our power to ensure that your rights are protected. Please contact us today to schedule a consultation.