Workplace Discrimination Investigations
If someone in your company is accused of discrimination, it is crucial that you show your employees and shareholders that you take the accusation seriously. A thorough and unbiased workplace investigation is not only required by law, but it will help you to resolve the situation. It can also help to prevent costly litigation in the future. When you hire an independent investigation firm, your corrective actions will have more credibility behind them. You can count on Ablin Law to handle your case with a professional demeanor and an eye for detail.
What Are Signs of Discrimination in the Workplace?
Discrimination occurs when an employee receives unfair treatment because of a protected aspect of their identity. Unlawful discrimination includes harassment, where discrimination creates a hostile work environment. Discrimination can also include:
If an employee in a protected group feels that they are being treated unfairly, they may make a discrimination claim, or even file a lawsuit.
If someone in your company is accused of discrimination, it is crucial that you show your employees and shareholders that you take the accusation seriously. A thorough and unbiased workplace investigation is not only required by law, but it will help you to resolve the situation. It can also help to prevent costly litigation in the future. When you hire an independent investigation firm, your corrective actions will have more credibility behind them. You can count on Ablin Law to handle your case with a professional demeanor and an eye for detail.
If an employee in a protected group feels that they are being treated unfairly, they may make a discrimination claim, or even file a lawsuit.
What Are Signs of Discrimination in the Workplace?
Discrimination occurs when an employee receives unfair treatment because of a protected aspect of their identity. Unlawful discrimination includes harassment, where discrimination creates a hostile work environment. Discrimination can also include:
- Hiring and Firing Decisions: If someone believes that their job application was looked over for unfair reasons, or they were let go without good reason, they may make a discrimination claim.
- Salary, Benefits, and Job Perks: Two employees who do the same work with the same level of experience but receive different salaries or benefit packages may be a sign of discrimination.
- Promotion Decisions: An employee may feel that they received an unfair performance review, or that they were passed over for a promotion they qualified for.
- Microaggressions: If an employee was accused of something they did not do, or they notice other signs of unconscious biases, they may make a discrimination complaint.
- Other situations of unfair treatment or a biased atmosphere in the office.
A complaint may involve multiple accusations of discrimination, including harassment. Discrimination can often be subtle, which may make a complaint difficult to investigate. With our years of experience representing both employees and employers in cases of discrimination, we know what avenues to pursue, and what questions to ask in these investigations.
How Ablin Law Investigates Workplace Discrimination
We begin each workplace investigation by gathering all available and credible information about the complaint. This starts with a conversation with the complainant to understand the complete picture of the situation. Next, we gather any documentation that might be relevant, such as company records, emails, or security camera footage. We also interview any witnesses before finally speaking with the subject of the investigation.
Once we have collected enough evidence, we share our findings with the company so it can make a decision on how to move forward. Ultimately, it is up to the company to decide how to move forward with the investigation results. Ablin Law will also provide a thorough investigation report.
Why You Should Hire A Workplace Investigation Firm
Choosing an outside firm for your workplace investigation will reduce strain on your company and make it easier for your team to do their jobs. Human Resources staff are not always trained to conduct investigations, especially not more complex or sensitive cases. In addition, an outside investigator can provide a sense of impartiality to an investigation that an in-house investigation may not possess. Our years of experience on both sides of these investigations help us reach well-reasoned conclusions, which will provide peace of mind for your team.
In-house discrimination investigations are especially difficult if a high-level partner or another powerful person within a company is involved. No matter what the complaint involves, it almost always looks bad when the company decides in favor of that person. An independent investigation firm helps prevent accusations of bias or allegations that your company is trying to hide something or sweep a problem under the rug.
Protect your company’s reputation by bringing in outside help for workplace investigations. Your employees and shareholders will feel more confident in an independent investigation’s results. You can count on Ablin Law to handle your case with the rigor, care, and tact that such situations require.