Employment discrimination is often discussed in terms of race or gender, but in fact, there are many categories of people who are protected by state and federal workplace laws. The job of Philadelphia employment discrimination lawyers is to help employees understand if they were discriminated against, and what likely course of action they can take.

As the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission details, discrimination can take many forms:

• Firings, demotions and pay cuts that are related to race, color, sex, age, ancestry, religious creed, national origin and other factors, but not job performance
• Instituting policies that can negatively affect one group more than another
• Failing to make reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities

Age discrimination suits were dealt a blow in 2009 when the Supreme Court ruled (Gross v. FBL) that a preponderance of evidence is necessary to prove age discrimination occurred. Philadelphia employment discrimination attorneys typically need to find the “smoking gun,” such as an email where the discriminatory act is blatant and clear. With other types of discrimination, the general rule is that the more evidence available, the more likely it is that litigation will succeed. Discrimination, however, remains a significant issue in the workplace.

People simply want to do their jobs and be appropriately rewarded and respected for their work. If you have encountered discrimination in any form in your workplace, speak with an attorney at [ln::firm_name]., a Philadelphia-based firm with experience in employment discrimination. The firm also has offices in Media, Pennsylvania and Westmont, New Jersey.