People do not always look forward to going to work every day, but there are times when it is harder than others. When a person is being discriminated against in the workplace, people may dread going to work, but they have few options as they still need to support themselves and their families. It is critical that workers understand their rights while at work. Employment discrimination is illegal under both federal and Ohio state law.
When employers violate these laws or allow others to violate them, workers can file a civil lawsuit against them. Proving employment discrimination is challenging, though, and it is also not always easy to determine when it has occurred. If you feel as though your employer has infringed on your rights, our employment discrimination lawyer in Columbus can help.
There are many specific protected classes under state and federal law. According to the law, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against any employee based on their:
Employers are prohibited from considering the above characteristics when they are making decisions about any area of a person’s employment. When making hiring decisions, laying off, terminating, training, demoting, or other terms of employment, employers cannot consider any characteristic that falls into a protected class.
State law also outlines that harassment is a form of employment discrimination. Harassment based on a protected class is against the law. Sometimes, even just one incident of harassment is enough to file a lawsuit against an employer. For example, an employer may offer a subordinate a promotion if the worker agrees to have sexual relations with them. In this case, one instance is enough to file a lawsuit against the employer.
In other cases, harassment must be pervasive and ongoing before a lawsuit is filed. The law states that when harassment is pervasive, severe, and interferes with a person’s ability to perform their employment duties, it is considered a hostile work environment. Physical attacks, offensive slurs, intimidation, offensive pictures or objects, and threats are some of the most common types of harassment that can create a hostile work environment.
Proving this type of employment discrimination is not easy. People often harass workers when there are no witnesses present, and they may be very careful about putting threats or harassing messages in writing, as they know it can be used as evidence against them. An employment discrimination lawyer in Columbus can help victims prove their case and obtain the full damages they are entitled to.
Employment discrimination should never happen, but sadly, it is common. If you feel as though your employer has treated you unfairly, our employment discrimination lawyer in Columbus can help. At Marshall Forman & Schlein, our seasoned attorney has the necessary expertise to prove these cases so you can look forward to going to work again. Call us now or contact us online to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can help.
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