Have you been treated unfairly at your place of work? Despite the city’s reputation for diversity and opportunity, workplace discrimination continues to affect many employees in the area. The good news is you’re not alone; Los Angeles employment lawyers are here to help.
California state laws provide a lot of protections for employees, but you shouldn’t have to handle everything on your own. Instead, reach out to Omega Law Group Accident & Injury Attorneys for legal representation from a Los Angeles workplace discrimination lawyer.
Over the years, we have recovered millions of dollars in compensation. Together, our attorneys have decades of experience. We’re all about putting our clients first. Always! Let our family take care of your family.
Defining Workplace Discrimination
Discrimination in the workplace involves adverse employment actions based on a protected characteristic. Such adverse actions can include:
- Hiring decisions
- Promotions
- Pay disparities
- Job assignments
- Training opportunities
- Disciplinary measures
- Termination
- Workplace harassment
These actions can be overt—such as explicitly refusing to hire a qualified candidate because of their race—or more subtle, like a pattern of excluding certain employees from important projects based on gender.
California law defines workplace discrimination broadly. It not only covers intentional discrimination but also policies or practices that result in disparate impact, which is where a neutral policy disproportionately affects members of a protected class.
This wide scope is designed to address the many ways discrimination can manifest, both direct and indirect.
Protected Classes Under California Law
Through the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), California laws protect employees against discrimination based on many protected characteristics:
- Race and color: This includes protection against discrimination based on ethnic background, complexion, and related factors.
- Sex and gender: This pertains to discrimination based on sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
- Age: Protection typically applies to employees who are at least 40 years old.
- Disability: Both physical and mental disabilities are covered, requiring reasonable accommodations.
- Religion: Employers cannot discriminate based on religious beliefs or practices and must accommodate religious observances.
- National origin: This includes ancestry, birthplace, culture, and language.
- Marital status: This protects employees from discrimination based on whether they are single, married, divorced, or in a domestic partnership.
- Medical condition: This includes genetic information and diseases, such as cancer or HIV/AIDS.
- Pregnancy and related conditions: Pregnancy discrimination is explicitly prohibited.
- Sexual orientation and gender identity: These are strongly protected categories in California.
- Military and veteran status: This protects current and former service members.
Federal laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) also protect these classes, but California’s laws often provide greater coverage and additional protections.
(310) 526-8383Forms of Workplace Discrimination
Workplace discrimination can appear in many forms. Understanding the various types of discrimination can help clarify how discrimination impacts an employee’s experience and what legal frameworks apply to your case.
Disparate Treatment
Disparate treatment occurs when an employee is intentionally treated differently because of a protected characteristic.
This might involve denying a promotion, imposing harsher discipline, or terminating employment specifically because of the employee’s race, gender, or another protected trait.
Disparate Impact
Disparate impact involves neutral employment policies that unintentionally disadvantage a protected group.
For example, a hiring test that disproportionately excludes certain racial groups, or a physical requirement unnecessary for the job, can lead to a disparate impact claim.
Harassment
Harassment is a form of discrimination involving unwelcome conduct related to a protected characteristic. Harassment can be verbal, physical, or visual. It also includes sexual harassment as well as other forms, like racial slurs or derogatory comments about disability.
When harassment is severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment, it violates state and federal law.
Retaliation
Retaliation happens when an employer punishes an employee for engaging in protected activity such as complaining about discrimination, filing a complaint, or participating in an investigation.
Retaliation is unlawful and can take many forms, including demotion, termination, reduction in hours, or unfavorable work assignments.
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
FEHA is the primary statute governing workplace discrimination in California. It provides broader protections than federal law. FEHA applies to employers with five or more employees, unlike Title VII, which applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
Under FEHA, employees who experience discrimination, harassment, or retaliation may file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).
FEHA also sets standards for employer obligations to prevent and correct discrimination, including mandatory training on sexual harassment in workplaces of a certain size.
(310) 526-8383Reach Out to Our Workplace Discrimination Law Firm in Los Angeles Today for More Information
If you or a loved one has experienced discrimination in the workplace, you don’t have to face it alone. It’s completely understandable to feel frustrated, anxious, or uncertain about what comes next, but you don’t have to go through this on your own.
That’s where Omega Law Group can help. Our Los Angeles workplace discrimination attorneys are here to advocate for your rights and help you push back against unfair treatment. You deserve to be heard, believed, and supported.
Reach out to our Los Angeles workplace discrimination law firm as soon as possible. Once you contact us, we can start exploring the details of your experience and working toward accountability on your behalf. Call now.
