If you are experiencing discrimination in the workplace, you may be trying to decide what action to take. In many cases, your employer’s business insurance policy may cover your claim, allowing you to get compensated for any problems you’ve had to face at work. Here’s what you need to know before you make a claim involving workplace discrimination.
What Is Discrimination?
There are a few types of discrimination that the law specifically condemns in the workplace, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). They include sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, race, disability, national origin and pregnancy. This means your boss cannot fire you or treat you differently just on the basis of any of these details. Similarly, a workplace can’t refuse to hire you based on these facts.
One example of discrimination in the workplace is when an employer pays some employees less than others despite having the same qualifications and position. It’s also discrimination when the employer offers different benefits or promotions to employees in the same position. Additionally, in many cases, job ads cannot show preferences for candidates of a certain age, religion, gender, or other personal details.
If you think you’ve been discriminated against in any way, start by letting your employer know. If your boss has discriminated against you, ask the human resources department to make a report based on the information you have. This will ensure it’s been documented if you decide to take it further. You should also keep any proof of the discrimination, such as signs or pictures people have placed on your desk to harass you, or emails that show discrimination toward you.
If the discrimination doesn’t stop, or if you feel your employer is not taking it seriously, you can contact the EEOC, which may help you make a claim. You can also talk to a lawyer who has experience with employment law. He or she will likely offer you a free case review to decide how to proceed so you can put a stop to the discrimination at work.
How Business Insurance Can Help
Your employer should have a business insurance policy that includes employment practices liability insurance (EPLI). This is meant to cover any claims that involve accusations of wrongful termination, discrimination, negligence, breach of contract, sexual harassment, and any other issues that may arise at work.
The benefit for you as an employee is that EPLI can ensure you get the compensation you need to help make up for the discomfort and outright loss of income you have dealt with. For example, if you were passed over for a promotion due to age, religion, sex, or other personal details, EPLI may allow you to get the raise you deserved and would have gotten if you have not been discriminated against. And if you didn’t get a job due to discrimination, you may get some type of compensation to help make up for that unfair decision.
Of course, EPLI also helps businesses that could otherwise go bankrupt after a charge of discrimination. This is why it’s important for businesses to have this coverage, and it’s helpful for employees to know about it if they need to report discrimination in the workplace.
