3 Tips To Follow If You Fear You Have Been The Victim Of Discrimination In The Workplace

In a perfect world, opportunities for advancement within a company would always be given out based solely upon a worker's merit and individual qualifications. Unfortunately, we live in a far-from-perfect world and discrimination does happen. If you have been the victim of discrimination in the workplace, you should know that you have options available to you. The justice system exists for a reason and it may be possible to make your company or coworker pay if they have indeed made a decision based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or some other criteria that you know is wrong to use when making a business decision. To that end, here are three tips to keep in mind to help protect your legal rights if you ever find yourself the victim of workplace discrimination.

Document Everything

Whether someone alluded to your race using a euphemism or just came right out and said they didn't want to promote you because you are pregnant, you need to write down exactly what happened as soon as you can. If the company decides to fight you in court, they may attempt to discredit your report. That's why it's important to get exactly what happened down on paper as soon as possible so there is no confusion. Document the name of the person involved, the date and time the incident occurred, and any possible witnesses to what happened. Be as specific as possible at all times.

Report What Happened To The Appropriate Person In The Company

Once you have made a written report about the incident, you need to give your company a chance to respond. Any company worth its salt today should have some kind of policy prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. You need to go to your human resources team or a simliar department and give them a chance to respond. This could be more complicated if the company is a small business with no HR department or if the offender is someone high up in the company. Still, make an attempt to contact someone higher up at the company if at all possible so an investigation can begin.

Acquire Legal Help If Needed

While many companies have an HR department, you need to understand that many HR managers are there to try to diffuse situations and to protect the company. They may very well believe you, but may also be very calculated in how they choose to proceed. If you feel like you are being pressured into a resolution that is not satisfactory, you have the right to retain civil rights attorney services at any time. Sometimes even just one phone call from an attorney to your HR department can help get your company to see things your way much more quickly.

No one likes being the victim of discrimination or harassment. If you find yourself in this situation, it's important that you respond by documenting it and taking those documents to someone else at your company as soon as possible. But regardless of how your company chooses to resolve the issue, know that you always have the option to hire a civil rights attorney to fight back for you. Reach out to a local attorney today for more information. Companies like Law Office of Faye Riva Cohen, P.C. can help you understand your options.


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