What You Should Do If You Have Been Discriminated At Work Due To Your Gender

Gender discrimination is a very real and damaging problem in the workplace. It can happen to both men and women, depending on the nature of the work being done. While both genders might feel discriminated against, women are likely to face it more often.

What should you do if you have been discriminated against at your work due to your gender? There are many different ways that you can tell if you've been discriminated against, such as undergoing sexual harassment or not being promoted due to your gender. Here are some tips on what to do if this is happening to you.

Document Everything That Happens

While you might not have a video recorder handy to record every instance of harassment or discrimination that occurs, you do need to document everything that you deem discrimination. For example, if you have just come back from having a baby and you find that your shift has changed to a less desirable one or that you have had your hours lowered, make sure you document that.

Write down or have proof of your previous shift hours and then document what they have been changed to. Make note of who is now doing your old shift.

The same is true for sexual harassment, too. Write down who was there, who any witnesses were, and what people said, and if possible, get your lawyer to obtain any security footage to prove what you are saying.

Get Witnesses

For a lot of the discrimination that takes place in the workplace, there are witnesses to it. Have those people write down what they saw or heard. Has discrimination happened to them by the same employee or boss? Maybe ask them to join you in a lawsuit against the employer to bolster your own case.

Did anyone record any instances of discrimination? Ask for copies of their video and give them to your lawyer. The more witnesses you have who can corroborate your side of the issue, the better.

Report It to Your Superiors

If the issue hasn't gone on long enough to warrant hiring a lawyer just yet, then first report it to your superiors. In court, this shows that you followed company protocol to get the problem resolved in-house before going to a lawyer. Document what they said, and if possible, get what they plan to do about it in writing. Then record if anything was actually done.

If you need to, you can give this evidence to your lawyer to prove why you decided to sue.

Report Discrimination to the EEOC

Before contacting your lawyer, contact the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). They help workers fight against discrimination by working with you and your employer to find a solution that works for you both. If nothing is resolved here, you will also have more documentation to bring to your lawyer to help prove your case in court.

To learn more about gender discrimination law, contact a lawyer.


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