Broward County Employment Law Blog

You probably already know you should prevent discrimination at your workplace–it is only common sense. Failure to curb a discriminatory environment from developing can result in costly legal claims, lower productivity and a higher employee turnover rate. 

However, it may be confusing as to how you can do more to stop discrimination at your place of work. You may think that anti-discrimination laws such as the Civil Rights Act are enough. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Here are some steps you can take to protect your company from discrimination lawsuits.

Generally, employers enjoy fairly wide latitude in making decisions about hiring, termination and workplace atmosphere. However, some actions may cross the legal line, especially when dealing with members of protected classes whom the law has deemed particularly vulnerable to discrimination.

Both Florida and federal laws prohibit age-based discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act is a federal law prohibiting employers from making decisions using age as the sole criterion. This protection applies to employees over the age of 40 who work for an employer with a minimum of 20 employees. The Florida statute has no age threshold, recognizing that employers may discriminate against an employee for being older or for being younger. The Florida law applies to companies with at least 15 employees.

Sexual harassment occurs in the workplace at a higher level than most people want to admit. An allegation of sexual harassment can have devastating consequences for your business and your profit margins. Employers need to be proactive in dealing with this problem.

Many people experience discrimination on a daily basis. It is always humiliating. When it occurs on the job, it is also a violation of Florida and federal law.

Not all actions you may regard as discriminatory constitute employment discrimination, however. It usually takes the help of an experienced employment law attorney to evaluate your case and advise you if you have a case and how to proceed.