Detroit Employment Law Blog

Although workplace discrimination is against the law, Michigan victims often feel that there aren't enough protections against discriminatory behaviors. In fact, many of these people feel twice victimized -- once because of the discrimination and then again when they attempted to find a solution. Unfortunately, it is up to victims to prove that workplace discrimination has made their job environment unbearable.

On the bright side, help is readily available, meaning that you do not have to be alone when seeking a legal remedy. An employment attorney is an invaluable source of knowledgeable legal guidance and advocacy during a difficult time. Working with a lawyer can also improve your odds of achieving a satisfactory outcome. You can do your part to prove your workplace discrimination claim with the following tips.

It is safe to assume that most American citizens take access to clean water for granted. For many decades, the water we all drink has been relatively free of dangerous contaminants like lead. Several years ago, residents of Flint learned the hard way not to take the water for granted when many of them grew ill from the city's contaminated water supply.

One public official tried to put a stop to the problem early on by blowing the whistle on the city's negligence in cleaning the water supply. According to the whistleblower, a former city administrator, she was fired wrongfully from her position after alleging that the mayor of Flint "routed donations given to help the city with its water crisis to a personal account."

Used properly, a performance improvement plan (PIP) can be a powerful tool. Used improperly, PIPs can be costly and destructive.

There's a perception in the sales world and elsewhere that PIPs are the first step toward firing an employee. Like many perceptions, it's partly based on reality because some employers do use PIPs for that purpose.

It is difficult to believe that any form of workplace discrimination remains a problem in the 21st century. As an educated and supposedly enlightened nation of individuals, these age-old issues should no longer plague American workers. Unfortunately, they still do and workplace discrimination in the form of sexual harassment is particularly unsettling.

To be clear, sexual harassment takes many forms. Sometimes, it is so subtle that victims have difficulty deciding if the problem is real or imagined. In other cases, the behaviors are so egregious that victims know immediately what is going on. Examples of workplace discrimination centered on sexual harassment include:

• Displaying sexually explicit images or making lewd comments
• Unwanted and inappropriate touching (patting, pinching, rubbing, etc)
• Whistling and catcalling as well as staring in an offensive way
• Asking inappropriate questions about sex
• Making offensive comments or gestures about gender identity or sexual orientation
• Sending sexually suggestive emails, letters, notes or other materials