How To Recognize And Report Race Discrimination

No one in the United States should have to deal with racism on the job. Sadly, racial discrimination in the workplace still happens regularly; a recent Gallup survey revealed that almost 25% of minority employees nationally reported workplace racism in the last year. Read below about how to recognize and report discrimination, and if you think you were a victim, our Orange County race discrimination lawyers would like to speak with you.

State And Federal Laws Protect You From Workplace Race Discrimination

Several laws protect you from racial discrimination in the workplace. They include:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that outlaws racial discrimination. Under this landmark law, racial discrimination is defined as unfavorable treatment at work based on someone’s race. Title VII applies to every employer in the US with at least 15 full-time employees.

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) outlaws racial discrimination in California workplaces. FEHA applies to every employer in the state with at least five full-time or part-time workers.

How Do You Know If You Suffered Racial Discrimination At Work?

There are several subtle signs of racism in the workplace that you should watch for. If you have seen any of these in your case, speak to your race discrimination attorney immediately:

Racial Stereotyping

Sometimes, subtle racism can happen even before you are hired. Suppose you have an MBA and 10 years of experience, and you seek employment with a company’s HQ. However, when you come for the interview, you have been referred to the warehouse for menial labor roles. While this could be an innocent mistake, it is possible that you were racially discriminated against.

Being Overlooked For Promotions

There is sometimes a ceiling beyond which some parties may feel they cannot advance because of race. Many talented and intelligent persons of color may not be able to move higher up the ladder at work because of racism. This can lead to promotions or salary increases going to those who are less qualified. It can be challenging to prove this type of case. However, note if you see other people of the same race not being promoted and getting raises. If there is a pattern of behavior over time at the company, it could be a race-related matter.

Supervisors Are Too Critical

All employees have struggles and challenges and need guidance and mentorship from supervisors. But if you are getting unending criticism and you are a minority, racism could be the reason. Proving this case means showing that much criticism is directed at people of a certain race while others of a different race receive preferential treatment.

Open Hostility

In some cases, there even could be open hostility in the workplace against people of a certain race. For instance, have you ever been made fun of at work because of how you speak? Or were your cultural behaviors mocked? Were the foods you eat made fun of? Any of these are signs of racial discrimination at work.

Evidence To Prove Work-Related Racial Discrimination

So, you believe you were discriminated against at work because of your race. Now what? To file and win a discrimination case, you will need plenty of evidence. For example, if someone less qualified was promoted over you, it will help if you can prove you have a strong employment record. Evidence that could be used to prove your case could include:

Copies of previous performance appraisals showing your outstanding record
Letters of recommendation and commendation from your current and previous employers
Copies of your work projects that demonstrate the quality of your work
Copies of other employees’ work to show the comparison between them
Witness testimony showing that racially discriminatory language or actions occurred at work

How To File A Report For Job-Related Racial Discrimination

There are two ways to file a charge of racial discrimination at work. They are:

File A Report With the EEOC

If you think you were discriminated against at work because of race or color, you may be eligible to file a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A charge of discrimination is a signed document that states that your employer engaged in racial or other types of prohibited discrimination. It also requests the agency to take legal action.

You can file a charge of discrimination through the EEOC’s public portal after you make an online request and the agency interviews you. Laws enforced by the agency require it to accept discrimination charges from the public. If the law does not apply to your racial discrimination claim, or if the charge was not filed on time, the EEOC may dismiss the charge without additional investigation.

File A Report With The FEHA

The other option is to file a report with the FEHA in California. The agency will investigate your claim and determine if it should pursue an action against the employer in court. If the agency decides you may have been discriminated against, it will issue you a right-to-sue letter. At that point, you may retain a race discrimination lawyer to represent you in a discrimination lawsuit.

Also, before filing a report with the state or federal authorities, consider calling our Orange County race discrimination lawyer to review your case. Tell them what happened in your alleged discrimination case, and they may advise you on how to pursue the potential claim. Remember, discrimination victims represented by an attorney may have a better chance of receiving damages in a claim than those who attempt to handle the matter alone.

Speak To Our Orange County Race Discrimination Lawyers

If you think you were racially discriminated against at work, you should speak to our Orange County race discrimination lawyers at Law Office of Joseph Richards. Our attorneys are experienced in race discrimination litigation and will fight aggressively to obtain justice for clients.

Racism should never be tolerated in the workplace, and we are ready to fight for our client’s rights, so call today at (888) 883-6588 for a case review. Our attorneys will listen to your story during the free consultation, and if the case is accepted, we will construct a legal strategy to get the best results.