(Newswire.net — August 13, 2019) — There are many women who have experienced sexual discrimination and harassment in their workplace. There are many women who do not report the fact nor take any legal action against gender discrimination and harassment. They do not report or admit it in front of anyone just because of the fear of retaliation or other similar concerns. But, nowadays, we can all see that #MeToo has gained so much popularity among people all over the world. The discrimination in the workplace happens when an employer, supervisor or a co-worker treats other employees unfairly due to their age, gender, religion, disability, skin color, ethnicity and race as well. In the year 2017, 84,254 workplace discrimination cases were filed with EEOC. But to fight against this discrimination, there are discrimination in the workplace lawyers whom you can contact.
The difference between harassment, discrimination and bullying:
You will have to understand the difference between harassment, bullying and discrimination. You can check these definitions in order to differentiate them:
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Discrimination happens when someone gets a different treatment based on his or her protected characteristic features.
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On the other hand, harassment occurs while an employee has to face too many abusive, offensive and threatening comments and actions due to his or her protected characteristic. Sexual harassment is one of them.
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Bullying is the extreme case of making fun of an employee. It can affect the employee’s mental health as well as his or her physical health.
Types of discrimination:
There are various types of discrimination that can happen in a workplace. These are:
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Religious-based:
No one has the right to attack an employee just because of his or her religion. It can create pressure on the religious issue.
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Age-based:
No one has the right to discriminate employees just because of their age. This usually happens with older workers. The Age Discrimination Act of 1967 makes this kind of discrimination illegal. An employee cannot discriminate against workers over the age of 40.
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Gender-based:
Gender discrimination is also known as sexual discrimination. This can happen while an employee treats other female employees based on their gender. This differentiation can also happen in case of a different pay scale in the same position.
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Race-based:
Race discrimination is a big issue in the workplace. Many employees have to face this kind discrimination due to their different race, skin colour and nationality.
How to prevent these?
The anti-discrimination law can help you and give motivation and energy to fight against these. This law can protect an employee and save them from unemployment as well.
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Know the rights and the laws:
The anti-discrimination laws are such as:
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The Civil Rights Act
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The Violence Against Women Act
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Title IX
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Age Discrimination in Employment Act
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Title VII
There is EEOC that can protect your rights. It can enforce various laws in order to give protection to the employees.
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Identify the underlying causes:
You will have to be aware and alert about the unconscious bias at workplace. Your manager and colleagues can do this behind you without giving you the trace of it. This is called indirect discrimination. If you cannot approach the person who has exhibited the discriminatory behaviour against you, then you should go to the human resource department. You can file a written complaint against those people who have made you uncomfortable.
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Filing complaint with EEOC:
If you are unsatisfied, then you can file a complaint with the EEOC. You can also go to them if you are fired after raising the issue in front of everyone. If you want to take effective steps, then you should read all the related rules and regulations carefully.
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Offer a healthy work culture:
A healthy work culture can prevent these kinds of discrimination, bullying and harassment as well.
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Project confidence at workplace:
You should never lose hope. It is not your fault. So, you should project your confidence and do your work. You will have to show your inner confidence in front of everyone.
You can contact your private lawyer if you continuously face harassment, discrimination and bullying at workplace. You can also send a legal notice if you got fired after raising your voice against these offensive behaviors and activities. Your protest and complaint can save your job. You can also file a complaint with EEOC in order to get more attention.