Escondido Workplace Discrimination Lawyer

Escondido Workplace Discrimination Attorney

Workplace discrimination has the potential to impact an employer’s business in negative ways and even hurt the lives of employees. Employees could lose their jobs, be paid less, or miss out on promotions due to their employers unfairly targeting their protected characteristics. If you have been the victim of workplace discrimination in Escondido, reach out to an Escondido workplace discrimination lawyer as soon as you can.

At the Law Office of Frank S. Clowney III, we understand how devastating workplace discrimination can be. We can provide you with compassionate legal representation and work toward winning you compensation for your damages.

Signs of Workplace Discrimination

It is not always easy to prove employment discrimination in California. However, experienced employment lawyers know what to look for, and you can train yourself to look for the same types of signs. Certain workplace behaviors can be telltale signs of workplace discrimination. Noticing and documenting any of the following behaviors at work can help you in the future if you decide to pursue legal action:

• Derogatory Jokes or Comments: Making offensive jokes at others’ expense is not proper workplace behavior. It is inappropriate and can hurt those who are being targeted. Joking about one’s protected class can be the beginning of a workplace discrimination case, and the same applies for derogatory comments about someone’s protected class.
• Exclusion: Make a note to consider who is always being included in workplace conversations or important meetings. If you are being left out consistently, it could be due to workplace discrimination. If you are actively trying to be included in meetings or social events, but your employer appears to be shutting you down, there could be discriminatory behavior happening at your expense.
• Unfair Treatment: Everyone in the workplace should be held to equal standards regardless of their protected characteristics. However, some employers like to pit employees of different protected classes against one another, even if they may not be aware of it. If you are being held to different standards than other employees on the same level as you, this is a glaring sign of workplace discrimination.
• Blatant Favoritism: If your employer has consistently promoted or otherwise rewarded employees with shared characteristics but ignored others without those characteristics, that could be a blatant show of favoritism. Favoritism is exclusionary and discriminatory. Your employer may not even be aware of their actions. In any case, bringing this observation to your HR department may be a good next step.
• Lack of Diversity: Look at the employees in your workplace to determine if there is diversity among them or if they are mostly the same race, age, and gender. A lack of diversity in the workplace could be a sign of discriminatory behavior.Your employer may only wish to hire people of a certain look, a certain age, or a certain gender. A compliant employer welcomes peoples’ differences and embraces all cultures in the workplace. Protected classes should not be a deciding factor in the hiring process.
• Unequal Pay: If you are doing the same amount of work as your coworkers who are in the same position as you, but you are making less than they are, this may be a sign of discriminatory behavior. Bring this pay disparity up to your employer and hear what they have to say on the matter. The reason could be completely valid, and you may have simply been unaware of it. In other cases, the employer could become defensive and accusatory. If that’s the case, investigate further and consider speaking to your HR department.

FAQs

Q: What Must an Employee Successfully Prove to Win a Discrimination Case?

A: To win a workplace discrimination case in Escondido, an employee must successfully prove the following in a court of law:

• You were subjected to discriminatory behavior in the workplace.
• The discrimination was due to your protected class.
• Your employer was motivated by their own bias.

Proving all three of these statements can prove difficult. You will need documented evidence, possibly witness statements, and more. An experienced workplace discrimination attorney can guide you through the process and help you gather what you need.

Q: What Constitutes a Hostile Work Environment in California?

A: Any sort of behavior at work that encourages harassment, discrimination, or other offensive behavior constitutes a hostile work environment in California. As a result of that recurring behavior, you may find it difficult or impossible to get any of your work done; thus, the behavior is affecting your job performance for the worse. An employer has a responsibility to discourage a hostile work environment and actively make the workplace safe and secure for every employee who reports to them.

Q: What Is a Reasonable Accommodation?

A: A reasonable accommodation is any change in the working environment that is made to aid employees with disabilities in performing their jobs to the greatest extent of their ability. Some reasonable accommodations include:

• Handicapped parking spaces
• Allowing a service animal in the workplace
• Extra or specific training
• Working remotely
• Taking a leave of absence
• A modified work schedule

It is workplace discrimination to deny disabled employees access to reasonable accommodations that they need to perform their job duties.

Q: What Is Unfair Treatment in the Workplace in California?

A: Unfair treatment in the workplace in California is any kind of treatment from your employer or coworkers that is offensive, insensitive, and made at your expense. It is illegal to harass or discriminate against someone in the workplace because of their protected class, which includes their age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, or pregnancy status.

Reach Out to an Employment Discrimination CA Lawyer Today

It can be difficult to navigate a workplace discrimination case, especially if you are not in a position to find another job. Dealing with discrimination can hurt your self-esteem, make you question your self-worth, and negatively impact your career. The Law Office of Frank S. Clowney III is ready to help you pursue legal action against your employer and answer any questions you may have about workplace discrimination. Contact us to schedule a consultation and discuss your case.