Employment Litigation Lawyer
All employees deserve to be treated fairly at their workplace. Unfortunately, however, this doesn’t always happen. Some workers face discrimination at work because of their race, nationality, religion, disability or age. If you want to take legal action against your employer for discrimination, it’s important to educate yourself about the facts.
Here are some common misconceptions about workplace discrimination that you shouldn’t believe.
Employers Need a Good Reason to Terminate Workers
All states are at will, so your employer actually does not need a legitimate reason to fire you. In fact, your employer can even fire you if he or she doesn’t like your personality. However, your employer can’t fire you because of your race, disability, religion or other protected class. If you believe that your employer terminated you for an illegal reason, you should speak to a lawyer promptly.
Employers Can Ask Job Applicants About Disabilities
This isn’t true. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits employers from asking job applicants if they have disabilities. They can only inquire about disabilities after they have offered a person the position so that they can reasonably accommodate them.
Discrimination Laws Are Designed for Minorities and Women
Discrimination laws aren’t solely for minorities and women. These laws can also protect people against discrimination over their gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin and disability. Anyone who has been discriminated against for being part of a protected class has the right to bring a complaint.
Employees Who Are Facing Discrimination Don’t Have Power
If you’re facing discrimination at work, it’s pretty easy to feel powerless. However, you must remember that you have more power than you think. Discriminating against an employee’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, religion or disability is illegal and doesn’t have to be tolerated. You can start by reporting the discrimination to your human resources department. If they fail to take action, you can file a complaint with the EEOC.
Employees Can File a Lawsuit Against a Mean Employer
Just because your employer is unkind and does not always treat you fairly, does not mean that you have grounds for a lawsuit. Only when the mistreatment is based on the employee’s membership in a protected class, the employee may have a viable legal claim.
If you believe you are facing discrimination at work, you may want to consult an employment litigaton lawyer, like one from Eric Siegel Law, as soon as possible.