Mount Greenwood Discrimination Attorneys Assisting Chicagoland Clients

Workplace discrimination comes in many forms. It can be subtle, manifesting itself through off-hand remarks about specific groups or overt, manifesting as a workplace where individuals of a certain race or gender do not feel safe. In any case, discrimination in the workplace is illegal. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 details the “protected classes” against which discrimination is illegal. This and other anti-discrimination laws are protected and enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

If you are experiencing discrimination in your workplace, work with an experienced employment lawyer to take action against your employer. You have the right to work in an environment free of discrimination and the fear of retaliation for speaking up about it.

Types of Discrimination

The protected classes named in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act are as follows:

• Race;
• Ethnicity;
• Religion;
• Sex; and
• National origin.

Many states, including Illinois, have additional protected classes included in state-level anti-discrimination laws. These protected classes include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Examples of Discrimination

Discrimination in the workplace can take many forms. A few examples of discrimination that can occur in the workplace include:

• Assigning female employees “housework” roles, such as cleaning up the office, in addition to their job duties;
• Segregating all employees of a specific race or ethnic group to one branch of the company or one department within it;
• Refusing to hire individuals of a specific race;
• Refusing to promote an individual based on one or more of the characteristics discussed above; and
• Harassing an individual or permitting harassment of the individual to occur. Harassment can include invasive questions about the individual’s lifestyle or past, remarks about him or her or his or her protected class, subjecting him or her to off-color jokes about his or her protected class, or subjecting him or her to aggression based on this protected class.

If You are a Victim of Workplace Discrimination

If you feel you are a victim of discrimination in your workplace, take note of every instance of discrimination that occurs. You cannot simply claim you are a discrimination victim without having evidence to support the claim. When you have evidence to support your claim, speak with your supervisor about your experience. If he or she cannot resolve the problem, speak with your company’s Human Resources department. Take note of every interaction you have with each of these parties. If your company will not resolve the problem internally, speak with an experienced employment lawyer about working with the EEOC to pursue a discrimination claim.

Work with an Experienced Mount Greenwood Employment Lawyer

If you have experienced discrimination in your workplace or witnessed it happening to one or more of your colleagues, speak with an experienced employment lawyer about your options for taking action with the EEOC. Contact The Law Offices of Mitchell A. Kline today to schedule your free legal consultation with a member of our team.

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