As an employer, you should prioritize keeping your employees safe, motivated, and satisfied with their work environment. Yet, these goals cannot be reached wherever workplace discrimination runs unchecked. As an employee, you should learn how to spot discrimination, report violations, and seek representation whenever your employer is negligent. A discrimination attorney from Fort Lauderdale’s Mark J. Berkowitz, P.A. firm can combat discrimination, ensuring everyone thrives at work.
Prevent Discrimination First; Hire A Discrimination Attorney Second
If there are rampant discrimination charges being filed at your workplace, everyone must work together to change the climate. There’s a lot you can do before hiring an attorney to promote workplace respect. First, employers should take ownership of their responsibility in maintaining a workplace free of discrimination. Employees should feel empowered to attain workplace success, training, advancement, and promotion without fear of discrimination or retaliation. No matter their age, gender, national origin, religion, disability, or genetic information, every employee has a right to unbiased treatment. Employers should reasonably accommodate workers with disabilities, ensuring that every person can contribute to their best ability in every aspect of their job.
Learn To Recognize – And Report – Discrimination
Create an accessible, updated handbook to maintain your discrimination-free workplace policies, incorporating both state and federal law. Make sure your employees know how to recognize discriminatory behavior and how to report it when it happens. Outline a complaint process, including whom to contact first for a variety of conflicts. The policy is not complete without a plan for handling each complaint, and what types and degree of discipline are available to implement. Employees should feel they can be honest with you about their comfort level at work. With their best interests in mind, ask your employers how you can improve your anti-discrimination policies and whether there are any gaps in the policy you have laid out. Employees should feel they can trust you with their complaints; fostering that trust helps prevent further discrimination. Take each complaint seriously and secure any evidence of the discrimination. Work with your company’s Human Resources department to implement the prescribed disciplinary action and curb workplace discrimination, bias, or harassment.
Get Representation When Employers Renege
As an employee, if you feel your employer has ignored your complaint, you can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC will hold your employer accountable for any discriminatory practice or negligence on the matter. Make sure your complaint is thorough, honest, and backed up with evidence. You may also hire a lawyer to help you with the sensitive matters of an EEOC complaint, ensuring the process is as smooth and swift as possible. These actions will give your employer no choice but to take your complaint seriously and eradicate discrimination in the workplace.
Contact Us
If you experience workplace discrimination or want to learn more about preventing it, contact Mark J. Berkowitz P.A., a discrimination attorney firm in Fort Lauderdale. We can help you get the representation you need so that you get the respect you deserve.