Discrimination is an illegal act that still happens in the workplace. Even though federal and state laws have been created to prevent discrimination, employers have become more intentional about hiding it.
When you feel you have been the victim of workplace discrimination, reach out to an Oakland, CA discrimination attorney at The Law Office of Jeannette A. Vaccaro.
Discrimination is the intentional act of unfair treatment towards an individual or group based on unique characteristics. These characteristics include race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religious affiliation, or disability.
You can also be discriminated against based on certain characteristics like pregnancy, age, military, or parental status. Because you can be discriminated against in so many ways, it’s sometimes hard to tell when discrimination is happening in the workplace.
How are some ways that workplace discrimination goes unnoticed? Some examples include practicing implicit biases, consistently failing to qualify for promotions, and more.
Your employer could be practicing implicit biases against you and other members of your specific group without knowing it.
One example is assigning certain tasks to a specific group of people of a particular race. If your employer believes you are more appropriate for this specific task based on your race, that is an implicit bias.
Because your employer may not know this is a form of discrimination, they may adamantly deny discriminating against you when you confront them.
Another example includes never being able to qualify for certain promotions. It is not just enough to accuse your employer of discrimination if you notice all of the supervisors are of a certain race.
If you notice that you and other members of your race constantly don’t qualify for promotions, even though you have the right qualifications, that could make your claims more credible.
Another telltale sign of discrimination is if you notice that your supervisor is overly critical of your work compared to other groups. An example would be your male supervisor being overly critical of your work because you’re a woman.
While employers can give feedback when necessary, it’s not normal to be overly critical of an employee’s work. It can be even worse knowing that your employer continues to target you because of your gender.
Your employers can also discriminate against you when they exclude you and other group members from certain work gatherings. This is often one of the most deliberate ways discrimination goes unnoticed because it can appear like a normal slight.
Employers can argue that you don’t seem like the type to want to enjoy a certain work gathering, like going out together as coworkers. But in reality, they never planned on asking you out based on your race, gender, or age.
Jeannette A. Vaccaro stays up to date on anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws. She is the perfect attorney to trust with your discrimination claim. Fill out the contact form below to schedule your free consultation.
Jeannette is passionate about employee rights. She fights to shed light on injustices and to help her clients move beyond troubling times. Contact Jeannette today for a free case evaluation.
Settlement achieved on behalf of an employee who was discriminated against on account of his age.
Arbitration award in race harassment and discrimination suit.
Arbitration award obtained on behalf of employee terminated on account of his national origin.
Jury verdict obtained on behalf of long-term employee in suit for unpaid wages.
Settlement for employee that was retaliated against on account of reporting discrimination.
Settlement for employee discriminated against on account of her gender and age.
Pre-litigation settlement for victim of race & national origin discrimination.
Settlement negotiated in a gender discrimination case.