What to do if you are a victim of discrimination?
Federal and state laws protect you from unfair and unwelcome treatment at work. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and states enforce discrimination and harassment laws.
Discrimination happens when an employer treats an employee or job applicant unfairly because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. EEOC laws do not cover all employers. Coverage is often based on the number of employees. Verify if your employer is required to follow the EEOC’s rules. Report discrimination to the EEOC. Use the EEOC’s public portal to follow the complaint process. Learn more about what to expect when you report discrimination. States and local governments also have anti-discrimination laws. Report discrimination to a local Fair Employment Practices Agency (FEPA). If the discrimination breaks both a state and federal law, the FEPA will also send your complaint to the EEOC. Use the EEOC’s directory of field offices to find the FEPA near you. You can sue an employer for discrimination. If the lawsuit is based on a federal law, you must file a complaint with the EEOC first.
Workplace harassment is unwelcome conduct based on a person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, older age, disability, or genetic information. Harassment includes:
- Offensive jokes
- Slurs
- Epithets
- Physical assaults
- Threats
Harassment is unlawful when:
Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors. It can also include offensive comments about someone’s sex. Sexual harassment is unlawful when:
Follow these steps if you experienced harassment at work. Retaliation happens when an employer treats someone poorly because they engaged in a protected activity. Protected activities include:
- Reporting discrimination
- Participating in a discrimination proceeding
- Opposing discrimination
Common retaliation methods include:
- Firing or laying off
- Assigning to undesirable shifts
- Demoting
- Reducing pay
- Denying benefits
Use the EEOC’s public portal to report retaliation related to discrimination or harassment. LAST UPDATED: September 19, 2024 Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it.
What is considered workplace-related discrimination under the term employment discrimination?
You may be familiar with the word “discrimination.” But do you know what it really means? And do you understand how it applies in the context of your job?
To “discriminate” against someone means to treat that person differently, or less favorably, for some reason. Discrimination can occur while you are at school, at work, or in a public place, such as a mall or subway station. You can be discriminated against by school friends, teachers, coaches, co-workers, managers, or business owners.
The EEOC is responsible for protecting you from one type of discrimination – employment discrimination because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, disability, age (age 40 or older), or genetic information. Other laws may protect you from other types of discrimination, such as discrimination at school.
The laws enforced by EEOC protect you from employment discrimination when it involves:
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