# Have I Been the Victim of Discrimination? | Choose Charlie

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Discrimination at the workplace can be obvious or it may be subtle. It can be challenging to pinpoint exactly how you are being discriminated against. The experience can be stressful and can also result in loss of money, promotion, or other benefits. In order to determine whether you have been discriminated against and what action you can take, you may want to consider hiring an employment discrimination lawyer. A lawyer will sit down with you to understand what you have experienced and identify what actions you can take to seek recourse for the damage you have suffered. 

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**Unfair Treatment**
It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against you based on your age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, skin color, ethnicity, religious beliefs, disability, medical condition, or any other reason. Examples of unfair treatment include:

- An employee who is more qualified than his coworker is passed over for a promotion because of the color of his skin. 
- A woman is not paid as much as her coworkers despite having the same qualifications. 
- An employer refuses to provide reasonable accommodations for a deaf employee so he can participate in meetings. 
- A woman has clients taken away from her by her supervisor because she is pregnant. 
- A man is fired from the workplace after one of his coworkers reveals that he is gay. 

**Harassment**
Harassment in the workplace is illegal whether it is by your supervisor, co-workers, or others. Harassment is often repetitive and always unwanted. It can be verbal, physical or sexual in nature and can lead to the creation of a hostile work environment. Harassment may be done by just one person or it may be pervasive throughout the entire company. Some scenarios of harassment are:

- A coworker continually uses racial slurs and other inappropriate language during company meetings. 
- A supervisor keeps making sexual comments about her employee. 
- A company permitting hazing of newly hired female candidates as a rite of passage.

**Retaliation**
An employer or coworker may not retaliate against you because you filed a complaint or a lawsuit against the company. Retaliation is fairly common. If you lodged a complaint with human resources or provided information in support of one and your supervisor reduced your hours, pay or other benefits, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. 

**Improper Disclosure of Information**If you or a loved one has been sick, employers may pressure you to answer medical questions and leave you feeling threatened or insecure about your job. Your employer is not allowed to release medical information without your permission. They also may not require you to answer medical related questions. 

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Facing discrimination can be detrimental financially, emotionally and sometimes physically. You may want to take action in order to protect yourself, coworkers, or even future employees. Seeking advice from an employment discrimination lawyer from a firm like Eric Siegel Law can lead to not only justice but compensation for your loss.

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Source: https://www.choosecharlie.com/faqs/have-i-been-the-victim-of-discrimination/