You have faced discrimination. What next?

Discrimination is an issue that continues to rear its ugly head. Even though state and federal laws work to prevent discrimination in the workplace, numerous instances of unfair treatment based on a protected characteristic take place every year. Often, it is up to the victim to ensure that justice for such wrongdoing comes about.

You may have come to understand that the mistreatment you faced on the job was discriminatory. Your boss may have passed you over for a promotion and gave it to a less-qualified man, or your employer may have given you less favorable work than white employees. Whatever the case, you understood that your treatment was due to your gender, race, religion, ethnicity, country of origin or another protected characteristic.

What can you do?

Now that you know what you have faced is against the law, you may want to take action to ensure that the problem is properly addressed. Some first steps to take include the following:

• Write down when the discriminatory instances took place and what they involved. Records can act as evidence later.
• Check your employee handbook, if one exists, to determine whether the company has a policy for filing discrimination complaints. If so, follow that policy.
• Fully cooperate with any investigative procedures that your complaint opens up. You may need to answer questions, provide your records of discriminatory incidents, name the offending parties or carry out other actions.
• Contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Florida to gain additional information about your situation.

If your employer does not properly handle your complaint, moving forward with an EEOC claim may be necessary. You will need to file your claim in a timely manner so you do not miss the window of opportunity, and you will need to provide your name, address and phone number as well as information about your employer.

Having support

You may already feel overwhelmed by the fact that you faced discrimination at work. As a result, you may wonder whether you can handle all the necessary steps involved with filing a claim. Fortunately, you do not have to go through the process alone. You can work with an experienced employment law attorney who can assess your case, go over your options and help you understand how to best ensure that your concerns obtain the attention they deserve.