Scottsdale Employment Law Blog

The federal law commonly know as Title VII makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees because of their race, gender, religion, color and national origin. Discrimination based on disability and pregnancy, are protected under federal law as well. While many employers are more scrupulous about complying with the law than ever, the number of employment discrimination lawsuits is increasing.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in 2016, over a third of discrimination cases involved race. Disability wasn't far behind, at just under 31 percent. Almost 30 percent involved sex. Close to 23 percent involved age.

Retaliation is a serious issue that plagues many workplaces in the Scottsdale area and the rest of the country. Retaliation often leads to wrongful termination cases when an employee loses their job for speaking up about unethical or illegal practices at their place of employment, also known as blowing the whistle. It's not out of the question for managers to lose their jobs if they retaliate against an employee.

The law protects an employee or applicant from retaliation if they make a claim against a company. This protection is in place whether the claim they make is true or false. The reason for this is that the government wants employees and applicants to know they can speak up when something is wrong without fear of retaliation.

The federal government and the state of Arizona both have laws protecting you from discrimination in the workplace. Your employer cannot harass you, discriminate against you or retaliate against you if you belong to a protected class.

For instance, your employer may not use your race, gender or religion to justify not giving you a deserved promotion, bonuses or the opportunity to work on certain assignments. Your boss could be discriminating against you if you suddenly begin receiving bad reviews or are subjected to offensive comments. Working may become unbearable, and you just want some relief.

If you're being harassed at work, it may feel like you're alone. However, the law is supposed to protect you. Federal and state laws prohibit harassment of Arizona employees because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, disability and other characteristics.

There are steps that you can and should try to take if you're being harassed. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which helps employees who are suffering harassment and/or discrimination, recommends the following: