Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Process At a time in the not to distant past, people were expected to tolerate whatever treatment they received at their job. Gender bias and racial discrimination were common occurrences in the workplace. However, the Civil Rights Act and its subsequent amendments, along with the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has spurred many changes in the way employees can expect to be treated.
Unfortunately, just because there are laws instructing employers of guidelines to be followed in terms of conduct, this does not guarantee adherence. In cases where an employee feels he or she has been unlawfully treated, there is a legal routine set by the EEOC to be followed.
First, the employee should document, document and document the incidents in question. Journals, emails and witness statements will all legally verify the employee's claims. Many times, the situation becomes a "he said/she said" scenario.
Sonny Cornelius, official portrait from .
English: William H. Brown, chairman of EEOC
John H Powell Jr, chairman of EEOCWritten documentation will attest to the truth of these incidents.
Second, the employee must exhaust the chain of command for reporting incidents within a company. Illegal and/or offensive behavior needs to be reported to the person's direct supervisor. If the supervisor is involved in the behavior, then his or her superior should be contacted. If satisfactory results are not achieved, the reporting should go up the corporate structure to the Human Resource department. If there is still no resolution, the next action would be to contact the EEOC.
If a person truly believes that they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability, then reports to the EEOC can be done by phone, mail, email or personal visit. Charges must be filed within an appropriate time frame. A typical time frame is within 300 days of the most recent incident.