When an employee feels unfairly treated or discriminated against in some way, he or she may have that gut feeling as to why he or she is being treated unfairly or differently compared to other employees. However, simply having a feeling of being the victim of employment discrimination isn’t enough to take legal action. In order to pursue a case of employment discrimination against a Colorado employer, you must be part of a legally protected class.
Many cases of employment discrimination may center on an employee being a certain race or gender. Also, those over 40 years old are considered a protected class and can pursue a claim of age discrimination. Other protected classes can relate to discrimination related to religion and national origin.
Making cases of discrimination even more complex is the fact that the discriminatory action must relate to the person being in that protected class. In other words, if an employee who is a certain race believes that he or she has been treated unfairly or feels discriminated against, but the actions or words against him or her have nothing to do with being in that specific protected class, the situation will not necessarily meet the legal standards for race discrimination. This can make any case of discrimination complicated, depending on the evidence or nature of the issue.
Because of the complexities and specifics of the law pertaining to employment discrimination, it is important to have up-to-date information about the topic. In Colorado, a case of employment discrimination can result in a reinstatement of employment, back wages and even forward wages, if the case proves to be successful. Our website has more information on the specific classes protected from employment discrimination.