Dealing With Discrimination in the Workplace – Valuable Tips for Employees

There is nothing quite as frustrating and perplexing as coming to terms with open harassment or discrimination at your workplace. Even though there are already broad-sweeping corporate and federal laws in place that prohibit harassment and discrimination against employees based on sex, nationality, race, age, pregnancy or religion, the practice is still very rife in many modern corporate environments. So, it is not surprising that you could find yourself in a situation where you feel that your labor rights are being violated.
Here is a quick overview of what you can do in such a case.

1. Let Them Know That You’re Aware of the Discrimination

A corporate attorney that deals with personal injury cases, like Dolman Law Group may advise that the best way of countering a possible case of discrimination is by making it succinctly clear to your employer that you feel your corporate rights are being violated. If anything, over 47% of illegal acts of harassment and discrimination go unnoticed and unpunished because the victims were afraid to step up and make it clear that they wouldn’t tolerate such conduct irrespective of the quotas that propagate it. It is only human nature to feel obliged to respond to complaints of harassment especially considering that very few employers will readily admit to encouraging the culture of discrimination in their workplaces.

2. Document Everything and Let Them Know That You are not Taking the Issue Lightly

Picture this: Imagine you are an African-American lady who walks into their desk and finds an offensive/suggestive picture taped on it. If this happens at a time when you feel that you are being racially targeted by your superiors or colleagues, the right course of action would be to take a snap of the derogatory photo and archive it for future use. Resist that urge to tear it up or toss it in the bin without first archiving it. The same applies to keeping a clear record and diary entry for any incidents that your feel could amount to harassment or discrimination.

Now using this evidence collected, approach your employer in a calm professional manner and let them know that you intend to report the discrimination to the appropriate labor body if the harassment does not cease. At the same time, you should request for an extensive investigation to be conducted to prove your allegations and effective corrective/disciplinary action be taken against the perpetrators of the harassment.

3. Talk to an Attorney

A well-trained lawyer can help you navigate the murky waters of corporate discrimination without necessarily losing your job or tainting your professional reputation. Unlike you, there are competent enough to wade through the complexities of the lengthy legal proceedings that often characterize most discrimination and harassment cases. More importantly, being a third party to the harassment or discrimination accusation, they can remain calm and collected enough to effectively prove your case before a corporate jury if need be.

There is no refuting that workplace discrimination is one of most distasteful things to mark one’s career. But you need to separate yourself from that lingering bitterness and emotions and face the extent and realities of the legal system. And an attorney can help you with that.