The last several years have seen sweeping changes to the culture surrounding harassment in the workplace. In nearly every area of business, leadership sees the writing on the wall and understands that workplaces that turn a blind eye to harassment may find themselves facing costly lawsuits.
Slowly but surely, state and federal laws are catching up and offering protections against harassment and discrimination that many businesses have allowed. Unfortunately, some states push back against these kinds of regulations, and some businesses drag their feet with compliance and updates to their company policies.
If you believe that you experience harassment in the workplace based on your sexual orientation, gender or age, then you may have grounds for a discrimination lawsuit. Make it a priority to review your legal options as soon as you can, to begin protecting your rights and privileges while you fight for justice.
Company policies and the law
Companies typically maintain numerous policies that outline how they deal with conflicts. You might expect that these policies simply reflect the laws that apply to them, but that is not always true.
Companies retain the right to create and maintain their own policies, which may differ from state or federal law significantly. The important distinction here is that the law allows companies to create policies which offer greater protections, not fewer protections.
In other words, a company may create policies that offer greater protections to employees, but may follow policies that are less protective than state or federal law. Sadly, some employers fail to understand this distinction, and create a more difficult workplace in doing so.
Fighting to protect your rights
A difficult truth about discrimination in the workplace is that the law can only do so much if people who witness discrimination fail to report it and push bak against this behavior. Many workers within companies defiantly believe that rules that govern work-appropriate behavior do not apply to them, and someone must assume the responsibility of bringing justice to bear.
If you believe that your company allows behavior that you believe is discrimination, be sure to review your legal options. You may find that you have more options than you expected, if you are willing to fight for justice. A well-built legal strategy helps ensure that your rights remain secure while you work toward fair, respectful workplaces for all.