Discrimination in the workplace
March 8, 2018
On average, women earn less than men in almost every occupation that has sufficient earnings data to calculate an earnings ratio for both men and women. Current studies show that discrimination in pay, hiring, or promotions continues to be a significant concern in the modern workforce. The average out-of-court settlement for a discrimination case is about $40,000.
Please review the following example of a recent Discrimination and Retaliation case to see why it is important to make sure that your company treats all employees equally.
What happened:
A female employee of Total Quality Building Services, a commercial janitorial services company in the Washington DC metro area, complained she was paid a lower wage than her male counterpart for equal work. Her duties included providing various janitorial services at a worksite in Reston, VA. It was also alleged that after the same female employee complained about the wage disparity and asked that her wages be increased, the company retaliated by assigning her additional work, subjecting her to verbal harassment, and firing her.
Decision:
In a consent decree, resolving the case, the company agreed to pay $36,461 for full back pay and other damages alleged by the EEOC. In addition, the decree bans sex-based pay discrimination and retaliation, and requires the firm to distribute discrimination and retaliation prevention policies in English and Spanish, provide anti-discrimination training, retain pay data for relevant jobs, and allow monitoring by the EEOC.
