Anyone who’s ever read regulations about equal opportunity employment knows that discrimination in the workplace has been illegal for many decades, yet without fail, it continues to happen in both small businesses and in large organizations alike. The most common form of workplace discrimination reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is retaliation. Essentially, what this means is that employers are attempting to punish employees, or associates of employees, who have made discrimination claims in the past. The law is supposed to protect employees who make these claims, either for themselves or on behalf of others, but employers still try to find ways to get away with treating workers unfairly.
The second most common type of workplace discrimination is against employees with disabilities, either on purpose or out of ignorance of the access and accommodations employers are supposed to provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While workplace discrimination may not be easy to report, facing discrimination at work is even harder, and it’s unlikely to change if you don’t take action. Here’s what you’ll need to do in order to take care of the situation.
Make records of all offending actions
As difficult as it may be, you’ll need to remove emotions from the situation in order to determine if you really have a workplace discrimination case. Being convinced that the business owner or your direct supervisor doesn’t like you isn’t enough to take legal action. The best way to do this is to simply keep a journal and record all offensive actions. You’ll need to include the date and time of each action, list who was involved (as well as who witnessed the situation), and a detailed description of the incident itself.
Before you decide to take official action against an ADA compliance violation or other discriminating behaviors, it’s best to meet with your manager to give them a chance to address the behavior. It’s possible that the discriminatory actions aren’t intentional and are simply the result of poor communication in management. That’s no excuse for disability discrimination, or any other form of discrimination, to keep happening, though. If the behavior doesn’t stop, you may have a criminal case.
Contact an experienced attorney
Once you’re convinced that the discriminating actions are intentional or that no real effort is going to be made to make reasonable accommodations, you’ll need to go ahead and contact someone like this ADA lawyer in Sacramento to explore options for litigation. An attorney with years of experience can help you deal with an ADA case or other forms of workplace discrimination like racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and even wrongful termination.
While all forms of disability discrimination are illegal under the ADA, California also enforces the California Disabled Persons Act, which may provide even higher protection in some cases. The statute of limitations to file a discrimination claim is typically two years after the event, but you’ll want to check state laws and regulations to confirm. If you’re seeking less than $10,000 in damages, you may file a case in small claims court, but otherwise, you’ll be filing a private lawsuit with help from your attorney.
Find ways to relax off the clock
Dealing with any kind of legal case is a stressful and drawn-out process, and a workplace discrimination case has additional inherent stressors on top of it. You need to find any way to relax that you can, and Bloom Vape products have you covered, from CBD oil to THC cartridges. You won’t have to worry about the legality of these products in California, but it’s still always a good idea to consult your doctor before trying new supplements or similar products to discuss potency and dosage. The last thing you’d want is for a mistake in those areas to increase your stress rather than decrease it.
