South Florida Personal Injury Blog

Employment discrimination occurs when a person, a coworker or a supervisor, within a workplace denies benefits – such as prospects for promotion, training, or even getting the job offer for that position at all. Fort Lauderdale attorneys Alitowski and Moore represent people who have been discriminated against or subjected to harassment at their jobs, allowing them to be compensated

According to Broward employment discrimination attorney Andrew Alitowski, these types of discrimination can also take the form of harassment in the workplace. Workplace harassment can make you feel uncomfortable or even unsafe. You may be concerned about losing your job or that your professional peers do not take you seriously. Worse, you could be in a situation where, over the long-term, you will make significantly less money than you otherwise would. Additionally, feelings of intimidation may cause you to leave your job – even if you do so to take a lower-paying job or one that is otherwise less desirable than your current position. Harassment can include unwelcome jokes or comments, especially if they continue over a period of time. Coworkers and supervisors alike can harass other employees.

Employment discrimination can be the subject of a lawsuit when it occurs on the basis of certain legally protected grounds. Employers cannot discriminate against employees or job applicants for certain immutable characteristics, such as race, sex, pregnancy status, national origin, or religion. The Americans with Disabilities Act also has provisions to protect workers with disabilities in the workplace.

From an employer’s perspective, Florida employment discrimination attorneys Alitowski and Moore say that allowing discrimination and harassment does not pay off. Having a strict policy against harassment is the first step to ensure that your employees behave professionally. Compliance with this policy, along with effective reporting and investigating mechanisms, promotes employer satisfaction. High rates of employer satisfaction lead to increased productivity and significantly lower rates of turnover. It is better from employers’ perspectives to retain workers over the long term rather than go to the expense of training new workers, hiring more people due to lower productivity, and make up for the higher rates absences associated with employee dissatisfaction.

Earlier this year, Congress enacted the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to allow workers who have experienced discrimination at their jobs a more reasonable time frame in which to file their claims. The Act was necessitated by an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling last year. Lilly Ledbetter was discriminated against at her job due to her gender. An excerpt of the hearings related to fair pay is available here: