Most Common Employer Complaints
With the ever changing nature of business, it's hard to know what your rights are if you're faced with employment disputes. Even if you don't have any complaints, it's beneficial to know what rights you have when working for a company. Working in America gives us the right to file a complaint on not just one specific issue but several broad areas that could be an issue depending on the situation.
This article will outline some of those most common complaints and give insight as to how these complaints work and what can happen as a result of filing a complaint against an employer. We'll also cover some common issues and complaints that can arise in a workplace.
Sexual Discrimination & Harassment
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave women the right to work along side their male counterparts while receiving equal pay for doing the same job. However, even in 2014 women still earn less than men on average, according to U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). This is not only an issue of equality rights but it's also something that can be encompassed with sexual harassment laws as well. These sort of complaints make up about 30% of all employment cases .
In the workplace, discrimination against a person of any gender is illegal in the United States. To keep this in mind, all companies are required to have equal opportunities for employees. The issue with sexual harassment in the workplace is more than just unequal pay and equal treatment. It can also include things like sexual jokes, threats of violence, or other unwelcome sexual language and physical contact. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , it's illegal for employers to discriminate against a worker based on their gender. This means that an employer cannot refuse to hire or fire someone based on their gender and cannot harass them either through comments or actions.
Sexual Harassment is defined as any unwanted behavior of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can include jokes, touching, or any sexual behaviors that interfere with the work environment and create an uncomfortable atmosphere.
This means that if you are being sexually harassed or feel like you're being harassed, you can report this to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC is a federal agency responsible for enforcing laws related to equal employment and discrimination against employees. If filed with the EEOC, it has a year to take action to address your complaint. After taking action on your complaint, they then have another 180 days before they have to let you know what actions were taken as a result of your complaint . If you don't hear back from the EEOC within 180 days, you can file a lawsuit.
If you've experienced sexual harassment at work and want to speak to someone about how this could have happened or how to make any changes, there are several steps you can take. However, before taking any action or speaking with anyone, it's important to first try to address the issue as a personal matter.
You can reach out to your manager or HR department about the situation but keep in mind that sometimes these managers are also the people who are harassing you. If you find that your complaint is taken seriously and heard by those higher up in management, it might be best for them to handle the situation themselves .
If your complaint is not taken seriously, you can file a complaint with the EEOC. You can do this by filling out the online form on their website or calling 1-800-669-4000 .
If you're dealing with a situation that hasn't been taken seriously or have tried to handle the harassment yourself, there are still some steps that you may wish to take. If a person has been harassing you, it's important to let them know how this makes you feel and how it will make your work environment uncomfortable for all of your coworkers. This can be done in several ways but usually just takes one word. Say something along the lines of "stop" or "stop harassing me. Your actions are unwanted and un-necessary." You can also involve a coworker in the conversation, but make sure that you know them well enough to trust that they won't take sides immediately.
If this doesn't solve the issue, it can be helpful to compile a list of times when this happened and send this list to your superior. This will help you not only keep track of things, but also show that this could happen at any moment.
You may want to keep a journal of all the negative things said and done during your workday. These might include comments made by coworkers or even your superiors who are creating an uncomfortable work environment for you .
If your employer is not taking your complaint seriously and you feel like it's affecting everyone at work and creating a negative work environment for everyone, you can speak to the EEOC. They will be able to help you with filing a discrimination suit against your employer . If you're in that situation, it's important to keep in mind that your employer is likely going to defend themselves against the charges so make sure you know what happened, who was involved, and when it happened. One of the most common complaints that are filed by employees are discrimination issues.
Sexual harassment is difficult because even if you haven't experienced it first hand, there's still a chance that someone in the workplace has experienced some form of harassment or discrimination. It's important to take these complaints seriously because the person who is being harassed could be you next week. In fact, one out of every four women in the workforce has experienced some form of sexual harassment. The only way to deal with this is to take steps for it not to happen.
Discrimination at Work
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was enacted in 1964 and prohibited discrimination against employees on the basis of race, gender, or religion . Title VII also prohibits employers from retaliating against any employee who makes a claim under Title VII . Since this law was passed employers have been required to follow its guidelines when dealing with harassment cases in their workplace.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in detail:
If you are experiencing any type of harassment at work, it's important to have an open and honest conversation with your supervisor. By doing this, you can show them that you care about the situation and want to see it resolved rather than ignored. It's also important to have a conversation with those who may be harassed or the person who made the complaint if they don't seem to think that it's a serious issue.
You can always file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) if you feel that your employer is not taking your complaints seriously or are not following Title VII when it comes to sexual harassment. If you want to file a complaint with the EEOC, the agency will ask you to fill out an online form or call them at 1-800-669-4000.
If you are being harassed based on your religion, race, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information, it's important that you report this to your employer. In fact, employers are required by law to make sure that employees aren't discriminated against due to these factors. If an employer is found guilty of discriminating against someone due to one of these factors they could lose millions of dollars in funding. There are federal and state laws that protect people from discrimination based on their race, gender and more.
Conclusion
Sexual harassment is a serious issue and it's important to seek out help or have these issues taken care of. If you're struggling with harassment at work or feel that your employer is not taking your complaints seriously, it may be time to consult an employment lawyer.
Although sexual harassment is a serious issue employers are required to maintain a safe work environment and follow the law if they are found guilty of discrimination. Hopefully this will help you understand what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace. While many people think that sexual harassment only occurs when it involves physical contact, anyone can be harassed at work due to comments made in the office.