Civil Rights and Employment Discrimination

726 Words2 Pages

Discrimination in employment law is taking job-related action against an employee on the basis of their age, race, skin color, religion, national origin, or gender. The categories listed are known as protected classes. Employers cannot use employee membership in a protected class when deciding how to treat employees (Disparate Treatment) or when making promotion or advancement decisions (Disparate Impact). Some Federal law only applies to companies that employ a certain number of individuals. The following case is an example of the reasonability test applied by the courts in a discrimination case.

If employees are harassed by coworkers, supervisors, or employer agents because of an employee’s membership in a protected class, the employer may be vicariously liable of practicing discrimination and creating a hostile work environment. Gender-based discrimination is the most common form of harassment and is the most common type of discrimination lawsuit filed. Even if employee harassment is committed without the employer knowing, the employer may be liable. The employer may als...

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