Race Discrimination Lawyers in Indianapolis Ready to Fight

In today’s world, the matter of race can be a complicated conversation. One place where race should never be an issue is in the workplace. Racial discrimination is still a problem in many industries and companies, and it robs employees of their personal dignity and career potential. While this type of discrimination can be quite noticeable in some scenarios, it can also be one of the more subtle and harder to detect types. Focused on recognizing and representing this type of legal issue, racial discrimination lawyers fight to combat this workplace concern while seeking justice for clients.

Call The Law Office of Deidra N. Haynes LLC today at 317-982-7396 for answers to your race discrimination questions.

What is Racial Discrimination?

Race discrimination is when a workplace decision regarding a person’s hiring, training, career advancement, or termination is made based solely on their race. There are federal laws in place to provide protection for employees against such discrimination, but that doesn’t mean the laws are followed by employers. Many people experience race discrimination at some point in their work life. Unfortunately, this type of discrimination may go widely unreported or underreported for several reasons. For starters, it may be hard to recognize race discrimination in the workplace. Employees also may not feel comfortable speaking out against an employer out of fear of retribution, such as being terminated. There is also the fact that race has become a hot topic of conversation in society and may trickle into workplace conversations, which may cross a line yet go unreported. Employees may also fear that proving the allegations of race discrimination are too hard, so they simply say nothing at all.

Examples of Race Discrimination

Recognizing discrimination based on race may be difficult in some situations, but the law has made it quite clear what counts as discrimination in a court of law. The basic actions of race discrimination include:

• Refusal to recruit, interview, or hire
• Treating employees differently in terms of pay or benefits
• Refusing to train, promote, or otherwise withholding career advancement
• Termination, demotion, or other ways of decreasing income (cutting hours, reducing workload, etc.)
• Harassment and/or increased scrutiny
• Racist jokes and conversations related to race within the workplace
• A hostile work environment with serious harassment, i.e., use of racial slurs, displaying racist symbols or materials, and other forms of workplace abuse
• Retaliation against an employee lodging a complaint, including termination or disciplinary action

It is important to remember that some of these actions (not offering a promotion, choosing to hire a different candidate, terminating an employee with poor performance) may happen in the normal course of business, and it doesn’t mean they are definitely actions of race discrimination. However, if these actions are rooted in race discrimination, and the actions take place solely based on the race of the employee, that is a legal matter.

What Does a Race Discrimination Lawyer Do?

A race discrimination lawyer acts as a client’s first line of defense in terms of information. The race discrimination attorney will answer questions and help determine if the events described fall under discrimination. They will also help gather relevant information and documents from the client while ensuring that all proper paperwork is filled out. Finally, the race discrimination lawyer will serve as the employee’s representation in court before the judge. A race discrimination lawyer may be able to help clients recover lost wages or other types of settlements, depending on the outcome of the case.

Proving Race Discrimination in the Workplace

It can be hard to prove race discrimination in the workplace. This is where an experienced race discrimination lawyer may make a world of difference. While it may be hard to prove instances where racially-charged jokes or slurs were used, it can be easier to prove that a company has never promoted an employee who wasn’t white or that the company has very few non-white employees overall, both of which may point to race discrimination. A lawyer may also look at terminations or other company details to determine if there is a pattern of racial discrimination within the company. If someone experiences race discrimination, their best bet is to have a lawyer on their side to help put together all the vital pieces of the case.

What If I am an Employer Accused of Race Discrimination?

As an employer, there is a responsibility to employees to create a safe, welcoming work environment. If your company has been accused of race discrimination, it is important to seek legal counsel for two main reasons. For starters, you may need a race discrimination lawyer to defend your company in court against a claim, whether the claim is justified or unjustified. Secondly, a lawyer may be able to help prevent future instances of race discrimination claims by teaching you what counts as discrimination and suggesting policies to put in place for a safer workplace. Regardless of whether you believe the claim is true or not, race discrimination accusations are something to take seriously for any employer. Not only is it against the law, but it can also tarnish your business reputation and make you lose valuable employees.

Let Us Help You Seek Justice

Work should be a place of business, but it can quickly turn personal when someone faces race discrimination. Whether you are an employee facing this type of behavior or an employer looking for ways to avoid this in the future, the right legal counsel is a step in the right direction. Let us help today by calling us at 317-982-7396 to see if you have a case.