Recently I attended a seminar hosted by the Greater Harbor Area Employment Advisory Council. They host seminars 3 times a year and I always go as the information shared is important to know. Even if the topic doesn’t pertain to my business specifically, I want to be informed so I can relay the information to my clients.
The most recent seminar was on the topics of Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Conducting Workplace Investigations. Over the next few posts, I’ll be sharing information presented by Anita York, an attorney with Scott & Whitehead, a law firm specializing in labor and employment law.
Discrimination and harassment in employment, based on any “protected category,” is prohibited by law. While the list of protected categories varies by state, the general concepts are similar. For example, in California, protected categories include all of the following:
- Race, Color, National Origin, Ancestry
- Religion – Includes religious-based affiliation, beliefs, observances, practices, dress and grooming
- Sex – Includes all of the following
- Sexual – Conduct or comments of a sexual nature
- Gender – Biological gender
- Gender Identity – The gender with which one identifies; one’s internal, personal sense of being a male or female
- Gender Expression – The expression of the gender with which one identifies; the external manifestation of one’s gender identity expressed through clothing, haircut, voice and/or body characteristics
- Pregnancy – Includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related conditions; also includes being “perceived” as being pregnant (taking some action because you believe someone to be pregnant)
- Sexual Orientation – Homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality; also includes “perceived’ sexual orientation
- Marital Status
- Political Activities or Affiliations
- Military Service
- Age – Chronological age of 40 or older
- Physical or Mental Disability – Having, or perceived as having, a mental or physical condition, disease or impairment that limits a major life activity
- Medical Condition – Having, or a history of having, or perceived as having, cancer or a particular genetic trait
For more information on these laws and their enforcement, see http://www.eeoc.gov/. If you find yourself in need of legal assistance or representation, attorney Anita York can be reached at 949-222-0166 or [email protected].
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