Racial Discrimination
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans
employers from discriminating against employees or job
applicants on the basis of race. Employment decisions
due to stereotypes or assumptions regarding race, color
or national origin; ancestry, birthplace or culture;
linguistic characteristics; or surname associated with a
specific national origin are prohibited. Whether the
discrimination is overt or more subtle — in the form of
policies that negatively affect members of a specific
racial group — it is illegal. If you have been the
subject of an employer's discrimination on the basis of
your race, color or national origin, contact an attorney
for advice and representation.
Types of Racial Discrimination
Racial discrimination in employment
can arise in numerous scenarios. Because of their race,
employees may be denied promotions; paid less for equal
work; disciplined more harshly than others of a
different race; fired; refused employment; or perhaps
never even interviewed. Title VII prohibits these
occurrences.
Whether the employer actively creates
a hostile environment for employees of a certain race or
designs policies that have a disparate impact on
employees of different races, the employer may be
breaking the law.
Inappropriate Interview Questions
It is inappropriate and illegal for an
employer to question a job applicant about race, color
or national origin. For instance, an interviewer should
never ask questions such as:
-
What is the origin of your last
name?
-
You look exotic. Are you mixed
race?
-
Where do your people come from?
If an interviewer asks you such a
question, you may want to ask the interviewer to repeat
it so you are sure you understood what was asked. The
interviewer may realize the error and move on. If not,
record what happened as soon as possible after the
interview in case the question indicated discrimination.
If you experience discrimination on
the job, it is also a good idea to keep a log of such
occurrences with as much detail as possible. Determine
your employer's policy for reporting such events and
consult with an attorney to make sure you preserve your
rights.
Other Types of Race, Color and
National Origin Discrimination
Title VII prohibits on-the-job
discrimination and discrimination during the interview
process, but it also protects workers from employer
discrimination based on their personal lives. An
employer may not discriminate against an employee or
applicant because of the race, color or national origin
of the people with whom employee or applicant
associates.
An "English-only" rule at work may
violate Title VII national origin rules unless it is
necessary to the business. The employer must inform
employees when English must be spoken and the
consequences for violating the rule.
Contact an Attorney
Employees and applicants for
employment have the right to be free from racial and
other discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion,
training, benefits, compensation and other aspects of
the employment relationship. If you are an employee or
applicant for employment and you feel you have been
discriminated against on the basis of your race, color
or national origin, get in touch with an experienced
employment law attorney.
Disclaimer: This website
is maintained by The Employment Law Group® law firm to provide general
information about itself and the field of employment law. The information you
obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice upon which
you should rely or act. If you would like to discuss your potential claim call
us at 888-603-0983 or
inquiry@employmentlawgroup.us
|
