Spokane Workplace Discrimination Lawyers

Employment discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or job applicant unfairly because of a protected characteristic such as age, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or another legally protected factor. Workplace discrimination can be overt or subtle and can have significant consequences for an employee’s career, income, and well-being.

Spokane employees are protected by federal law and the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD). Depending on the circumstances, these laws can protect employees and applicants from discrimination in hiring, termination, promotions, compensation, workplace assignments, and other terms and conditions of employment.

The following are several types of workplace discrimination prohibited under Washington State or federal law:

Spokane Age Discrimination

Age discrimination occurs when an employer makes employment decisions based on an employee’s age rather than their qualifications, skills, or job performance. Federal law protects workers who are age 40 and older through the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), while Washington State law also prohibits employment discrimination based on age.

Older employees may face workplace bias because of stereotypes that they are slower, resistant to change, more expensive to employ, or less capable of learning new technologies. Employers may sometimes attempt to disguise age discrimination as restructuring, downsizing, or cost-cutting.

Signs of age discrimination may include:

• Being passed over for promotions in favor of younger, less-experienced employees
• Receiving negative performance reviews inconsistent with previous evaluations
• Being assigned undesirable duties intended to encourage resignation
• Hearing comments about being “too old” or needing to retire
• Being excluded from meetings, training, or professional development opportunities
• Being targeted during layoffs while similarly situated younger employees are retained

If you believe you have experienced age discrimination in the workplace, a Spokane employment attorney can help you understand which protections may apply to your situation.

Spokane Disability Discrimination

Disability discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or applicant unfairly because of an actual or perceived disability. Spokane employees may be protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

A disability may be physical, mental, visible, or non-visible. Depending on the circumstances, employers may also have a duty to provide reasonable accommodations that allow a qualified employee to perform their job unless providing the accommodation would create an undue hardship.

Examples of disability discrimination may include:

• Refusing to hire a qualified applicant because of a disability
• Denying reasonable workplace accommodations
• Demoting or terminating an employee after they disclose a disability
• Harassing an employee because of an actual or perceived disability
• Excluding employees with disabilities from training, promotions, or other opportunities
• Applying workplace policies in ways that unfairly disadvantage employees with disabilities

Reasonable accommodations may include modified work schedules, ergonomic equipment, changes to certain job duties, accessible facilities, or other adjustments appropriate to an employee’s circumstances.

Employees who believe they have experienced disability discrimination should consider documenting what happened, including accommodation requests and communications with their employer.

Spokane Gender Discrimination

Gender or sex discrimination occurs when an employee is treated differently because of their sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or another protected characteristic related to sex.

Spokane employees may receive protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Washington Law Against Discrimination. These protections can apply to hiring, termination, promotions, compensation, job assignments, workplace conditions, and other aspects of employment.

Examples of gender discrimination may include:

• Paying employees differently because of sex or gender
• Promoting less-qualified employees because of gender
• Applying different performance or appearance standards based on gender
• Discriminating against employees because of gender identity or expression
• Allowing sexist comments or gender-based harassment to create a hostile workplace
• Denying employment opportunities because an employee does not conform to gender stereotypes

Employees should be evaluated based on their qualifications and performance rather than assumptions about their sex or gender.

Spokane Hair Discrimination

Spokane employees may have protections against discrimination involving hair texture or hairstyles when that discrimination is connected to race or another protected characteristic.

Washington law recognizes that race discrimination protections include traits historically associated or perceived to be associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. This can include hairstyles such as braids, locs, Afros, and twists.

Examples of hair discrimination may include:

• Requiring employees to straighten naturally textured hair to appear “professional”
• Prohibiting protective hairstyles associated with particular racial groups
• Penalizing employees because of their natural hair texture
• Applying grooming policies differently based on race
• Denying workplace opportunities because of hairstyles associated with racial or cultural identity

Workplace grooming and appearance policies should not be used as a pretext for unlawful racial discrimination.

Spokane Hiring Discrimination

Workplace discrimination can occur before a person is hired. Employers generally cannot make hiring decisions because of an applicant’s protected characteristics rather than their qualifications for the position.

A failure-to-hire claim may arise when an applicant believes they were denied a job because of race, age, sex, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or another characteristic protected by applicable law.

Hiring discrimination may include:

• Preferring candidates of a particular race, sex, or other protected group for discriminatory reasons
• Asking interview questions designed to obtain information about protected characteristics
• Using coded language in job postings to discourage certain applicants
• Using recruitment practices that intentionally exclude particular protected groups
• Refusing to consider qualified applicants with disabilities who could perform the job with reasonable accommodations
• Rejecting an applicant because of their religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected status

Discrimination laws can apply to recruiting, interviewing, screening, hiring, and other stages of the employment process.

Spokane LGBTQ+ Discrimination

Spokane employees are protected against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity under federal and Washington State law.

LGBTQ+ discrimination can affect hiring, termination, promotions, compensation, workplace assignments, benefits, training, and other terms or conditions of employment.

Examples may include:

• Harassment or derogatory comments about sexual orientation or gender identity
• Refusing to hire or promote someone because they are LGBTQ+
• Treating an employee differently after learning about their sexual orientation
• Discriminating against transgender or nonbinary employees
• Applying workplace policies differently based on gender identity
• Excluding LGBTQ+ employees from workplace or leadership opportunities

Employees should be evaluated based on their qualifications and performance rather than stereotypes or biases concerning sexual orientation or gender identity.

Spokane Pregnancy Discrimination

Pregnancy discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or applicant unfavorably because of pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related health conditions, or related circumstances.

Spokane employees may have protections under federal law, including Title VII as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, as well as protections available under Washington State law.

Pregnancy discrimination may include:

• Refusing to hire someone because they are pregnant
• Denying a promotion or other opportunity because of pregnancy
• Pressuring an employee to take leave before it is necessary
• Demoting or terminating an employee after learning about their pregnancy
• Denying legally required pregnancy-related workplace accommodations
• Treating pregnancy-related medical restrictions less favorably than required by law

Depending on the circumstances, employees may be entitled to reasonable workplace accommodations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related health conditions.

Pregnancy discrimination can involve several overlapping federal and Washington employment protections. A Spokane workplace discrimination attorney can help an employee determine which laws apply to their situation.

Spokane Race Discrimination

Race discrimination occurs when an employee or applicant is treated unfairly because of race, color, ethnicity, or characteristics associated with race. Discrimination can be overt, such as racial slurs, or more subtle, such as consistently denying advancement opportunities to employees of a particular race.

Examples of race discrimination may include:

• Assigning less desirable work because of race
• Using racial stereotypes when making hiring or promotion decisions
• Allowing racial slurs, offensive jokes, or other racial harassment
• Disciplining employees of one race more harshly than similarly situated employees of another race
• Applying grooming or appearance policies in a discriminatory manner
• Excluding employees from professional opportunities because of race

Race discrimination may violate Title VII and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

Spokane Transgender Discrimination

Discrimination against transgender employees because of their gender identity can violate federal and Washington State employment laws.

Transgender discrimination can take many forms, including refusing to hire qualified applicants, terminating employees, denying promotions, workplace harassment, discriminatory workplace policies, or other unfavorable treatment because an employee is transgender.

Examples may include:

• Refusing to hire an applicant because they are transgender
• Harassing an employee because of their gender identity or expression
• Applying dress or grooming standards inconsistently based on gender identity
• Intentionally treating transgender employees differently from similarly situated coworkers
• Denying promotions, training, or other opportunities because of gender identity
• Retaliating against an employee for reporting gender identity discrimination
• Consistently and deliberately misusing a transgender employee’s preferred name, form of address, or gender-related pronoun

Transgender employees have the right to be evaluated based on their qualifications and job performance rather than stereotypes or prejudice concerning their gender identity.

Protecting Your Rights Against Workplace Discrimination in Spokane

Spokane workers have protections under federal and Washington State employment laws. If you believe you have experienced workplace discrimination, consider taking the following steps:

1. Document the incidents – Keep records of potentially discriminatory behavior, including dates, times, locations, communications, and witnesses.
2. Preserve evidence – Save relevant emails, text messages, performance evaluations, schedules, disciplinary notices, and other workplace documents you are legally permitted to retain.
3. Report the conduct – Consider following your employer’s procedures for reporting discrimination to human resources, management, or another designated person.
4. Seek legal counsel – A Spokane employment lawyer can help you understand which federal or Washington State protections may apply to your situation.
5. Consider filing a complaint – Depending on the circumstances, employees may be able to file a discrimination complaint with agencies such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC).

Employees should also be aware that discrimination complaints can be subject to filing deadlines. The applicable deadline can vary depending on the law, agency, and type of claim involved.

No employee should have to endure unlawful workplace discrimination. Understanding your rights, documenting discriminatory conduct, and taking appropriate action can help protect both your career and your legal rights. Contact Matern Law Group now.