If you have been denied a promotion at work, it may not be easy to take the thought off. Despite an employee having stellar qualifications, some employers pass them over while promoting others. This feels like a slap on the face that may leave you with so many questions. The fact is that promotion discrimination happens every time. This is apparent when another employee with lower qualifications compared to yours gets promoted. At times, the employer may also promote an employee based on color, race, or religion, among other protected classes. If you believe in having a valid discrimination claim, you need top employment law firms to help you gather up the right evidence for your case.
How To Handle Promotion Discrimination At Workplace
According to the federal and state laws, an employer should not decide to employ or promote based on race, religion, sex, color, or any other protected class. If this happens to an employee, one may you have a reason to be suspicious. But instead of rushing to file a claim to recover damages, you may consider talking to your supervisor and ask for the reason. This is because your employer may have a reasonable explanation as to why you were not promoted. Maybe you qualify but lack requisite skills to handle the position. However, if the reason seems irrelevant, it may push you to file a lawsuit. Before filing a lawsuit, you need to first file a complaint with the right federal or state agency. All in all, you may need to:
- Have evidence from your employer statements, either verbal or written, regarding your promotion: For instance, your employer may tell you that you will not be promoted because of your national origin, sex, or disability.
- Have facts that your employer decisions were not legitimate: If there are no legal reasons, act quickly by voicing your concern that you have been discriminated against
- Prove that despite you airing the concern about discrimination, your employer took adverse actions against you: Your employer may decide to dismiss you because you complained or questioned them.
Remember that the law only protects you if you fall into a protected class. If this is so, it’s better to track any event you may think may be useful when filing a claim. Make sure your information is accurate since this may have your case dropped due to a lack of relevancy. It’s better to have a lawyer determine whether you have a valid case that may constitute promotion discrimination. He/she will tell you whether you are likely to win or not.
Have An Employment Lawyer Guide You
If you believe in having been discriminated against and never promoted in a position you believe to be eligible, you may consider consulting an experienced employment lawyer. No doubt that your employer may deny the reasons for your claim. It may be worse if you’ve chosen to have a self-representation. Airing your concerns to an experienced employment lawyer who has dealt with such cases would be the best step.