If you’ve been experiencing discrimination at work you can report your employer to the state and to the Federal government. There are state and Federal laws that make it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees. You have a right to feel safe at work. Employers can’t discriminate against employees because of their race, sex, religion, where they’re from, their age, or if they have a disability.
Reporting Discrimination At Work
If you’re a victim of discrimination at work you should first set up a meeting with your HR rep. Human Resources is there to make sure that the company follows all applicable laws when it comes to the workplace rights of the employees. When you ask for the meeting do it in an email or a text. Try to keep all communication that you have with your HR rep in email or text so that you have a record of it.
After you meet with HR you should type up a summary of everything that was discussed and send it to your HR rep. Ask them to confirm that the meeting notes are accurate. That way you will have documentation showing that you reported the problem to HR.
When you go the meeting with HR bring all of the evidence that you can get of what you’re experiencing. The more evidence you have the harder it will be for HR to deny what you’re experiencing. You need to have tangible proof of the discrimination that you’re experiencing in order for the EEOC or the state to find in your favor.
Reporting Discrimination To the EEOC
If your meeting with HR is unsuccessful and doesn’t stop the discrimination that you’re experiencing, you can file a complaint against your employer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC has offices in every state. It’s a Federal agency so the EEOC can investigate employers in any state. It’s the EEOC’s mission to investigate workplace rights violations and make sure that employers act in accordance with employment law.
Reporting Discrimination To Your State
Your state should also have an agency that investigates employers and is focused with protecting the workplace rights of employees. In most states it’s either the department of labor or the board of labor. You can find a lot of information that can help you on the state labor department’s website. You may be able to submit a claim through their website too.
The EEOC works with the state labor department in 44 different states. So, if you live in one of those states you won’t have to file two claims. You can just file one claim with either the EEOC or the state labor board. The state and the EEOC will both receive the information and evidence that you submit.
The evidence that you submit is critically important. You should submit things like:
- Photos
- Videos
- Screen shots
- Emails
- Texts or group chats
- Direct messages
- Pay stubs if you are not being paid fairly.
- Copies of your schedule if your hours were changed as part of the discrimination.
Submit any documents or evidence that show that you are being discriminated against by your employer or coworkers.
Speak With an Employment Law Attorney
If you are not sure what evidence to submit or have questions about the process of submitting a claim you can speak with an experienced employment law attorney. Fill out the Free Case Evaluation form to be connected with an independent employment attorney who subscribes to the website and may be able to help with your case.
