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We know that you never thought you would need a racial discrimination attorney in Pasadena, CA. However, workplace discrimination happens all the time, and it can have a devastating effect on the person who is being discriminated against. At the Azadian Law Group, PC, we understand these cases and will work to secure the compensation you deserve. Not only can workplace race discrimination affect your economic livelihood, but it can also affect your mental well-being as well. Today, we want to discuss what this looks like and how we can help.
While we would like to think that discrimination based on race no longer exists in the workplace, we know better. In fact, cases of workplace racial discrimination are amongst the most reported and investigated by federal and state authorities.
We know that these numbers do not give us the whole picture and that cases of racial discrimination in the workplace are vastly underreported. Many people are afraid to come forward with their complaints because they are afraid of retaliation from coworkers and supervisors.
Racial discrimination in the workplace can be obvious, but it is often subtle behaviors that can be just as detrimental. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tells us that this type of discrimination happens when a person is treated unfavorably due to their race or because of characteristics associated with their race (hair texture, skin tone, facial features).
Employers cannot treat people differently in any way due to racial differences. This includes treatment when it comes to:
If a person is from another country and legally allowed to work in the US, an employer cannot discriminate against them based on their natural origin.
Racial discrimination in the workplace may also consist of a boss overlooking harassment that one’s coworkers may be engaging in. This could include:
It is an employer’s duty to be aware of such harassment when it is occurring. An employer who allows such harassment to continue instead of taking the proper steps to remedy the situation may be guilty of racial discrimination.
If you’ve been the victim of this type of harassment, you may initially respond by filing a complaint with HR. Consult your employee handbook to determine the proper method for doing so. Unless your boss is the one directly engaging in harassment, you should also alert them to the problem.
It’s entirely possible HR and/or your supervisor will not remedy the issue sufficiently. It’s likely you’ll benefit most from enlisting the help of a Pasadena racial discrimination attorney. Still, when taking legal action, it’s important that you be able to demonstrate that you attempted to manage the problem by working through the “proper channels.” If you never filed a complaint with HR or your boss, it could be argued that the problem was never as serious as you claim.
Some forms of workplace racial discrimination are overt. They involve employees clearly being mistreated based on their race.
However, there may also be instances when racial discrimination occurs in the workplace in a more indirect capacity. This can happen if a company policy unfairly disadvantages certain employees due to their racial background. Such forms of racial discrimination fall under the heading of “disparate impact” discrimination.
Our understanding of this form of workplace racial discrimination has its origins in a Supreme Courty case: Griggs v. Duke Power Co.
At Duke Power’s Dan River Steam Station in North Carolina, Black workers were typically restricted to working in the Labor department, where the highest-paying position still paid less than the lowest-paying position in any other department at the company.
Employees needed to have certain “qualifications” to work outside of the Labor department. For instance, one such qualification was having earned a high school diploma At this time in history in North Carolina, many of the Black employees of the company were not high school graduates.
Their argument was that many of the positions outside of the Labor department could be filled by workers without high school diplomas, as not having a high school education would not interfere with one’s abilities to perform the tasks those roles involved.
The Supreme Court agreed. Thus, racial discrimination may be said to occur in the workplace when a company policy that doesn’t serve a legitimate business purpose results in unfair treatment among employees of a certain race.
Do you believe your employer has instituted such policies? If so, review your case with a Pasadena racial discrimination attorney to learn more about your legal options.
You do not have to put up with racial discrimination in your workplace. When you need legal assistance, you will find no better advocate than the team at the Azadian Law Group, PC. We understand the laws regarding discrimination in the workplace and have successfully gotten compensation for our clients. This can include:
When you need a Pasadena race discrimination lawyer, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 626-449-4944. We will not charge you any out-of-pocket costs, and we will only get paid if we are successful with your case.