National Origin Discrimination

Stuart Employment Attorney

The legal team at Crary Buchanan believes that everyone is entitled to a safe workplace. That’s why our employment law attorneys are dedicated to standing up for the rights of employees in Stuart and the surrounding areas. Employment discrimination can take many forms, including national origin discrimination. If you’ve been harassed at work because of your national origin, the legal team at Crary Buchanan can help you stand up for your rights and file a claim on your behalf.

Call our office today to learn more about your rights as a victim of national origin employment discrimination.

Understanding National Origin Discrimination

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers are not allowed to treat employees less favorably because of their nationality, race, color, disability, sex, familial status, or religion. Discrimination against individuals for any of these reasons is strictly prohibited. National origin discrimination is the act of treating someone differently because they are from a specific place or associated with a national group. National origin discrimination can be committed against employees, coworkers and job applicants. According to EEOC, there are three types of national origin employment discrimination, which can be based on the individual’s place of origin or national origin group.

Types of National Origin Discrimination

There are three types of national origin discrimination: ethnic, physical and perceptive.

Ethnic Discrimination

Discrimination based on ethnicity occurs when an individual is treated differently because he/she is a member of an ethnic group. For example, EEOC prohibits employers from treating job applicants, etc. differently because they are Arab, Hispanic, etc. Additionally, ethnic discrimination occurs when an individual is treated unfairly because he/she is not part of a specific ethnic group. In other words, employers and coworkers cannot treat employees differently because they are not Arab, Hispanic, or another specific nationality.

Physical Discrimination

National origin discrimination occurs when an individual is treated less favorably because he/she has certain physical, cultural or linguistic traits that are identified with a specific nationality. For instance, employers and coworkers cannot discriminate against an employee who wears traditional African clothing. This type of discrimination does not have to be associated with a specific nationality. For example, employers cannot discriminate against a job applicant because he/she has an accent that “sounds foreign.” Physical discrimination includes general cultural traits as well.

Perceptive Discrimination

Sometimes, discrimination is based on the employer/coworker’s personal perception of the victim. For instance, an employer might discriminate against an employee because he/she thinks that the employee acts, talks and dresses in a way that associates him/her with a specific nationality. Even if the employee doesn’t associate him/herself with a specific national group, the employer can still discriminate against the employee. Although these forms of discrimination are outlined by EEOC, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 discusses many of the same issues.

What are your legal rights?

According to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, many instances of national origin discrimination go unreported because employees do not understand their rights. If you believe that you were treated differently because of your nationality, an attorney from Crary Buchanan can help you understand your rights as a victim of discrimination and effectively file a charge.

According to the Department of Justice, victims of national origin employment discrimination may be entitled to back pay, job relief and other benefits. If you’ve been harassed at work because of you nationality, our Stuart employment law attorneys have the skill and experience to obtain the results you need. We have helped clients along the Treasure coast since 1927; contact us today to see what more than 85 years of experience can do for you.