A poll completed by CNN/Kaiser Family Foundation found that for many minorities, discrimination is still a huge issue in America. Of those surveyed, 57 percent of Hispanics and 69 percent of blacks said that discrimination from both the past and present were causing issues for their ethnic group or race. These issues appear to have spilled over into people’s working lives as well.
The poll results showed that 26 percent of black respondents and 15 percent of Hispanic respondents said that discrimination had led to unfair treatment in the workplace in the last 30 days. This seems to be reflected in the large number of reports of discrimination that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission receives; in 2014 alone, the commission saw more than 31,000 reports of race-based discrimination.
However, while discrimination is often reported, proving it can be a challenge. More than 70 percent of the allegations the EEOC received in that year were dismissed because the commission said they lacked a reasonable cause. This is likely due to the fact that not all discrimination is overt, and not all instances of discrimination involve firing an employee due to their race or ethnicity. Things like implicit bias can lead employers to subtly treat employees differently based on their race or ethnic background.
Employees have the legal right to work in an environment that is free of discrimination due to a variety of factors, including their age, gender or religious beliefs. If an employer refuses to hire, promote, give raises or choice assignments to an individual due to discrimination, people may have legal recourse related to this unfair treatment. A lawyer could explain the legal remedies that a person who has suffered in this manner has.
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