Selecting the right discrimination attorney after being unfairly treated as a federal employee due to age, race, physical ability, religion, sex, or other defining factors is an important first step when it comes to winning or losing a case of prejudice. Federal employees have enjoyed a full range of rights that have been established by dozens of laws passed to protect the American worker.
In the past, many government employees felt too vulnerable to report wrongdoing or unethical behavior in the workplace. Any form of whistleblowing or finger pointing would likely result in being ostracized by upper management, who would even go so far as to threaten outright employees with retaliation if they were to speak of the infractions they witnessed. It was an accepted maxim that if you wanted to keep your job, you kept your mouth shut.
Thanks to some civil rights laws, as well as various other protection laws that have been passed over recent years more people are feeling safer about coming forward and reporting fraud, and other abuses within the government. They are also being offered incentives by the government to do so. Some whistleblowers have received over a million dollars in compensation for their efforts in cleaning up unscrupulous federal offices.
What Should a Whistleblower Do to Prove Abuse in the Workplace?
Many cases involving discrimination are under a tight time constraint for how long a person can wait before filing a complaint so legal advisors recommend that anyone who feels that they may have a case should step forward as soon as possible. The time limit is some instances can be as short as 45 days.
Anyone who feels that they have been passed over for promotions, are being held back from job advancements or are otherwise being singled out for not “playing ball” should not hesitate, or engage in ethical debates with their employer after they have been found to be in violation. Waiting to file a claim can be detrimental to their case.
An employee who feels that a legitimate cause exists to believe they are being treated unfairly should insist to their employer that they are taken seriously and that reports be written in each case that they bring to the employers attention. They may also demand that an investigation is performed, and anyone found to be in violation duly reprimanded according to discriminatory guidelines. Keep in mind that falsely filing discrimination charges against a fellow employee or boss can have serious ramifications, so be sure that what you are experiencing falls under the definition of discrimination.
A person filing a claim should also be able to provide some proof of the violation. It is recommended that the individual experiencing the ill treatment keep a log of each infraction with the date, time, name, and circumstance that occurred to help attorneys create a timeline of abuse.
It is also suggested that any and all physical evidence is collected that further validates a claim, such as notes, pictures, offensive emails, etc. that the complainant has received. If your company has literature, which outlines anti-discrimination practices, and policies (which, in this day and age they should) a copy of said pamphlet should be studied to ensure that what is happening constitutes a form of abuse.
The lines are still being drawn when it comes to determining what can be considered when dealing with discrimination, but a clearer, more accurate profile is being developed which is allowing greater freedoms for both federal and private sector employees to speak up about less than ethical behavior in the work environment.
As laws and regulations continue to bear down on inappropriate activities, the idea is that a heightened sense of integrity will develop, and federal agencies can perform their duties without violating an employee’s civil rights.
