Victim of Discrimination At Work? Consider These Important Tips
When you are treated unfairly in the workplace on the basis of factors like age, race and sex, you may be the victim of discrimination. In addition to creating a hostile work environment, discrimination can deter job prospects, derail your career and cause you to lose wages, benefits or your job. Federal and Florida state law prohibit discriminatory practices in the workplace.
Under Florida law, discrimination on the basis of the following factors is illegal:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- Gender
- National origin
- Age
- Disability
- Marital status
Discriminatory employment practices have many guises. If you think you are being treated unfairly when being considered for a job, or after hire, it is important to know what to do. Here are steps you can take:
- Speak with an experienced employer lawyer in your area. Make sure the lawyer you speak with has experience with employment issues. Good legal counsel will listen to your situation and suggest options.
- Try to remain employed. While an employer may be creating conditions that cause you to quit, stay on the job. Create a paper trail of your complaints and the treatment you have suffered.
- If you share information through Facebook, chat, text, email, Twitter or other social media forum, your thoughts, complaints and reasoning can be used by your employer as a defense. If your employer has a private chat forum, be cautious of what you say and how you say it. Better yet, do not post at all.
Discrimination is illegal. If you decide to pursue a claim for discrimination, be aware of time limits for filing a claim on state and federal levels. From the date of the alleged discrimination, you have 365 days to file a claim with the Florida Commission of Human Relations (FCHR). A claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) must be filed within 300 days of the discriminatory action to preserve your claim.
No one should be treated unfairly in the workplace. If you have questions about employment discrimination, speak with our office.