Divorce Law and You

Civil rights is a sector of the law that just about every person has heard of. However, it's also an area of the law that only a small number of people understand. This is particularly the case when it comes to civil rights within an employment environment. Make sure you understand what your rights are.

What Are Civil Rights?

Start your quest by learning exactly what civil rights are. In the simplest of terms, these rights outline the requirement for each citizen to be treated equally. In terms of an employment environment, this would require an employer, manager or any other team member for that matter to treat their coworkers equally no matter their national origin, race, age, sex, disability, religion or any other defining category.

When a person is being treated differently solely because of one of these identifiers, their civil rights are being violated.

Recognizing A Violation

While the rules concerning a civil rights violation are fairly clear, recognizing a violation can be challenging and proving a violation can be even more difficult. As previously stated, in terms of a legal requirement, the violation must be solely based on discrimination. If there is any other factor at play, the scenario might not be considered a violation.

Take a female employee who has been denied a promotion, for instance. If her employer denies her for the role simply because she is a woman, this is a violation. However, if she is denied for the role because of a lack of experience and poor attendance, and she just happens to be a woman, in court, this likely won't hold up as a violation.

Have Your Rights Been Violated?

If you believe your civil rights have been violated, you do have options. You should consider beginning your journey with a discussion with an attorney. Not necessarily for the purpose of immediately filling a suit, but instead to get feedback about your situation to see if you have a valid violation and on how to move forward.

Based on this conversation, you can choose to reach out to your employer directly about the issue and work to resolve it, which is the more common process. However, if your efforts are unsuccessful in this way, you can still consider a more aggressive path with the court system.

If you believe your rights are being violated, don't sit in silence. Let an attorney work on your behalf.