During the 2019 fiscal year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 72,675 workplace discrimination charges from employees in Florida and throughout the country. EEOC data indicates that 53.8% of all discrimination claims during that period were related to employer retaliation. It was the most common type of discrimination claim the EEOC received during the period. Complaints related to disability comprised 33.4% of discrimination claims.
Claims related to discrimination based on sex, race and age were also among the top 10 most common discrimination charges leveled against employers in fiscal year 2019. The EEOC found that 69.5% of all discrimination charges were without cause, and it also found that 70% of retaliation claims made during the 2019 fiscal year lacked cause. Of the 7,514 sexual harassment charges the EEOC received, it found that 54.6% did not have any basis to them.
EEOC data revealed that 16.8% of workplace sexual harassment claims that it received were made by men. Overall, employees who claimed that they were discriminated against at work were paid $346.6 million. Of that total, $205 million went to those who claimed that they were were retaliated against by their employers. Another $56.6 million went to individuals who claimed that they were victims of workplace sexual harassment.
Individuals who believe that they are victims of age, gender or religious discrimination may want to pursue legal action. This may involve filing a claim with the EEOC, filing a lawsuit or allowing the EEOC to file a lawsuit on an employee’s behalf. If an employer retaliates after an employee makes a discrimination claim, the employer could face multiple charges. An attorney may be able to help employees learn more about their rights and how to defend them.