You may already know that charges of employment discrimination may be filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Though, you may also turn to other outlets. Continue reading to learn where you may report workplace discrimination and how an experienced New York discrimination lawyer at Bell Law Group may help you in this filing process.
Where can I report workplace discrimination in New York State?
Namely, the New York Office for Civil Rights is a state-based agency where you may report your incident of workplace discrimination. If you file a complaint both here and with the EEOC, you must indicate that you wish to cross-file your complaint. Also, you must file with the New York Office for Civil Rights within 180 calendar days from the day the discrimination occurred, while you will have 300 calendar days for the EEOC.
Notably, you may be asked to fill out the following pieces of information in your complaint form:
- Your contact information.
- The area where the discrimination occurred (employment, internship, contract work, etc).
- The party you are filing a complaint against (employer, worksite, agency, etc).
- The date of the alleged discrimination.
- The number of employees that work for the company in question.
- Whether you are currently working for the company in question.
- The basis of the alleged discrimination (i.e., age, criminal record, disability, national origin, race, religion, pregnancy-related condition, sexual orientation, etc).
- The acts of alleged discrimination (i.e., refusing to hire, firing, demotion, etc).
What other steps should I take if I experience workplace discrimination?
If you have been made a victim of discrimination at your place of work, then you may want to consider filing a workplace discrimination claim. For your claim, it is helpful to have evidence that you reported the incident to the proper authorities, such as the EEOC and the New York Office for Civil Rights. What’s even more beneficial is submitting these reports almost immediately after the incident. Otherwise, the argument may be made that the incident could not have been as severe as you let on if you were delayed in taking action.
In addition, it is best if you take the following steps before bringing forward your claim:
- Report the incident of discrimination to your company’s Human Resources department (and save copies of your complaint and the official report files).
- Report the incident of discrimination to your manager, if they were not the offender (and save copies of your complaint and the official report files).
- Collect other pieces of proof surrounding the incident of discrimination (i.e., photos, videos, emails, witness testimonies, etc).
If you are ready and willing to kickstart this reporting process, then you must employ a skilled New York employee rights lawyer today. We look forward to working alongside you.
