Workplace Discrimination
Workplace Discrimination In Washington
Washington state law protects all people from discriminatory and unfair practices in the workplace. Unfortunately, many employers participate in workplace discrimination, sometimes unknowingly, against employees and job applicants.
Types Of Workplace Discrimination
The major types of discrimination that occur in Washington state include:
- Age
- Gender
- Sexual identity
- Race, ethnicity, or nationality
- Physical or mental disability
- Genetic information
- Pregnancy or parenthood
What does discrimination at work look like? Here are some examples:
- Listing preferred candidates in a job advertisement or excluding potential job applicants based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, etc.
- Denying compensation, benefits, or promotions to certain employees, or discrimination when conducting layoffs.
- Paying different salaries to employees in the same position with similar qualifications.
- Discriminating when assigning leave for a disability, workplace injury, parental leave, or denying retirement options.
- Making it difficult to use company facilities, or outright denying access.
If you’ve experienced any of these situations, it’s important to contact an experienced discrimination attorney to help protect your rights.
Discrimination During The Hiring Process
Employment discrimination can also happen during the hiring process. You could potentially lose out on appropriate compensation, be denied a transfer or promotion, and more. It is illegal for employers to discriminate against job applicants for race, gender, pregnancy, religion, and more. Additionally, employers cannot ask you certain questions or deny access to information, such as salary or benefits.
Discrimination Vs. Harassment
What is the difference between workplace discrimination and harassment? Harassment involves repeated unwanted behavior from a coworker, boss, client, or anyone else in the workplace and is based on discrimination against gender, age, race, sexual identity, disability/health status (including pregnancy), or nationality. Harassment is also illegal and has severe consequences. It is not uncommon for workplace discrimination cases to also involve sexual harassment.
Do I Need A Workplace Discrimination Attorney?
Experiencing discrimination at work can be stressful, humiliating, and make you feel unsafe. You need an experienced and knowledgeable attorney in your corner to fight for and protect your rights.
A discrimination lawsuit doesn’t just hold the guilty party accountable—a lawyer can help you obtain compensation for the damages that discriminatory actions have caused you.
The workplace discrimination lawyers at Emery | Reddy, PLLC have built a solid reputation standing up for the rights of injured and discriminated workers all over Washington state. We’ve secured hundreds of millions of dollars in awards for our clients and litigated hundreds of cases involving federal and state law violations against employers of all sizes. Call us today for a free case review to find out how we can help.