Many federal employees in California and elsewhere likely feel despondent and even overwhelmed if they are on the receiving end of discrimination or harassment at the workplace. Being victimized by such behavior can be degrading. Discriminatory and harassing acts can seem intimidating and even overtly threatening.
Such conduct is certainly unethical.
It is also flatly illegal under a host of state and federal laws, with a number of so-called “protected areas” — race, sex, national origin, color, disabilities and additional classifications — being enumerated that receive special scrutiny by investigators and courts when they are cited in complaints.
What can an aggrieved federal worker or ex-federal employee do when being targeted by unlawful workplace behavior?
With timely and knowledgeable assistance from a proven employment law attorney, that individual can file a Federal Equal Employee Opportunity claim that seeks meaningful remedies for the on-the-job suffering endured from bearing the brunt of discriminatory and harassing third-party conduct.
An employment law lawyer intimately familiar with the procedural aspects and timing considerations relevant to EEO claims can help ensure that a claimant timely commences the formal complaint process. An informal EEO counseling session is an initial requirement, with discussion sometimes resulting in conflict resolution through mediation and at other times being ineffective and requiring the claimant to file a formal complaint.
There are also timing constraints associated with that filing, as well as ample opportunity for proven legal counsel to centrally assist a client during both phases of the formal EEO complaint (investigation and hearing).
The remedies referenced above that are potentially available to a successful claimant can be materially beneficial. They include position reinstatement coupled with back pay and benefits, as well as money damages.
An experienced California EEO claims attorney can provide further information.