If you ever stop to read the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and other disclosures at the bottom of a job vacancy, application or another employment document, you’ll likely notice that it mentions different grounds on which employers are prohibited from discriminating against prospective or existing employees. National origin is one category listed. Discrimination on these grounds can take on many different forms.
Employers are prohibited in harassing a prospective or current employee based on their ethnicity, accent or any other reasons related to their national origin. Teasing and other light or inconsequential comments aren’t prohibited by existing laws, however, intentionally derogatory or offensive ones are. Any treatment that is offensive or creates a sense of hostility may fall under the umbrella of unlawful discrimination as well.
Federal law prohibits West Virginia employers from imposing policies that only target specific workers. This is especially the case if whatever rule that they’re trying to implement isn’t job-related and is only been imposed to adversely impact an individual of a particular national origin.
Employers aren’t allowed to not hire a worker simply because the worker has an accent (unless an accent would have a specific adverse effect on their job performance). A company’s leadership can’t impose an English-only rule in their work unless it’s necessary to improve efficiency and it’s done for non-discriminatory purposes.
Discrimination isn’t only limited to supervisors. Colleagues may engage in such ill-treatment of their fellow workers as well. If you’ve been denied a job, passed up for a promotion, let go from your role or otherwise discriminated in your workplace due to your national origin, an attorney may help you recover compensation for your losses that you suffered as a result.
