Workplace discrimination can have a profound impact on your career and thus your future. If left unchecked, this egregious behavior can force you out of a job, derail your career advancement, and leave you uncertain of what will come next.
You don’t deserve to be treated unfairly in the workplace, which is why the law extends anti-discrimination protections to workers like you. So, if you think that you’ve suffered from an adverse employment action based on discriminatory intent, then you should consider taking legal action.
As you start building your case, gathering evidence of your employer’s discriminatory acts will be crucial. But while you’re going on the offensive against your employer, you want to be careful that you don’t make mistakes that could jeopardize your claim. Otherwise, you could lose on your claim and miss out on the compensation that you need and deserve.
Mistakes to avoid when building your workplace discrimination case
Some individuals who have been discriminated against at work think that building their case is going to be easy. While there might be clear evidence of discrimination, there are still missteps that can be made when building one of these cases that can prove terminal to your claim. These include:
- Quitting your job too early: If you quit your job too quickly, then you might not gather all the evidence you need to support your claim. Additionally, it’ll be harder to show that you left your job due to discriminatory acts rather than some intrinsic motivation. So, even though it’s tough, you should try to hang onto your job as long as you can.
- Not reporting discrimination: You need to report discriminatory acts to your employer. If you don’t, then it’ll be difficult to show that your employer failed to protect you. Be timely and thorough in reporting these egregious acts.
- Retaliating against your employer: Discrimination hurts. And it might give rise to a desire to get back at your employer for what they’ve done to you. But you have to quell that urge. If you don’t, then it’ll be all too easy for your employer to paint you as a disgruntled employee who is simply making allegations to unfairly hurt their employer.
- Failing to document discriminatory behavior: It can be hard to recall every discriminatory act with clarity, especially if a significant amount of time has passed. By detailing each of these instances in writing, you’ll be able to more easily recall them, which can paint a more compelling picture for the judge and jury in your case.
- Downplaying what’s been done to you: A lot of workplace discrimination victims make the mistake of thinking that what’s been done to them isn’t all that severe. By minimizing these acts, though, you reduce the perceived impact they had on your employer’s actions against you, which could be devastating to your case.
Build a holistic workplace discrimination case to protect your interests
The resolution to your workplace discrimination claim can have a profound impact on your future. With so much at stake, you owe it to yourself to be aggressive and thorough. Gather as much evidence as you can, anticipate the defense’s arguments, and track your losses. Educating yourself on the law can be helpful, too. Reach out to Alan C. Olson & Associates to get started today.
