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6 signs you may be the victim of national origin discrimination

On Behalf of | Jan 13, 2019 | Workplace Discrimination |

Like most residents of Milwaukee, you work hard every day. While providing for yourself and your family is likely your top concern, you do not want to worry about workplace discrimination. After all, making ends meet is hard enough when working conditions are fair.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects employees in the United States from discrimination due to their national origin. That is, your employer may not treat you differently because of the country of your birth, your accent or your cultural traits. Here are six signs you may be the victim of national origin discrimination at work.

1. You did not get the job 

Generally, employers may not ask about your national origin during the hiring process. If a hiring manager uses your actual or perceived national origin as a reason not to hire you, you may have a valid discrimination claim. The same is true for decisions regarding promotions and termination of employment.

2. You do not have the tools you need 

To be productive at work, you must have access to certain tools and training. If your employer refuses to provide you with the items you need to succeed because of your national origin, the company may be in violation of federal law.

3. You work in a hostile environment 

Describing a hostile work environment can be difficult. In fact, most employees do not understand hostile work environments until they end up working in one. Nonetheless, if your employer uses your national origin as a reason to make your work life miserable, you may need to explore legal options to improve working conditions.

4. You must comply with special rules 

Your employer should not require you to comply with unique rules. If your manager asks you to do things that those from different backgrounds never have to do, you may not be getting fair treatment.

5. You make less than your co-workers 

As you probably know, employers regularly rely on different metrics to determine how much to pay workers. If your colleagues seem to make more than you do for no good reason, national origin discrimination may be to blame.

6. You regularly receive negative reviews 

Finally, national origin discrimination often reveals itself during employee reviews. If you routinely receive reviews that seemingly do not match your job performance, your employer may be illegally discriminating against you.

Proving a national origin discrimination claim can be challenging. Often, you must evaluate every aspect of your working conditions to know whether you are the victim of national origin discrimination. Still, if you think your employer is treating you unfairly, you may need to act quickly to assert your legal rights and protect your job.

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