Protect Your Interests With Documentation - Documents To Deliver To Your Discrimination Attorney

If you've been the victim of discrimination in the workplace, it's important that you do everything you can to protect your rights. While the initial shock and depression may be intense, it's vital that you combat any instincts to turn yourself inward and instead immediately begin to gather the necessary information to successfully litigate your case.

Hard evidence is worth its weight in gold in a court of law, and producing as much of it as possible will be an immense benefit. Below, you'll find a guide to some examples of documents you should be sure to gather and transmit to yourcivil rights attorney in order to make sure your claim is handled as seriously as you deserve it to be.

Journals or Social Media Posts

When you're discriminated against, it's natural to search for an outlet to express your disbelief in frustration. Though you may not even be conscious of it at the time, many people write down their most honest reactions in the immediate aftermath of a discrimination event and they can prove to be extremely valuable at a later date.

If you keep any kind of paper journal or blog, make sure that you provide a full record of your written feelings to your lawyer. Many modern social networks also feature a so-called microblogging feature that, while not a fully formed collection of thoughts, may still be a valuable resource in accurately displaying your feelings at the time.

Company Policies

Though most corporations are now extremely sensitive to the threat of harassment and therefore have explicit policies designed to handle it, there may be other rules that have been integrated into the company culture. While your company's explicit human resources guidelines are valuable, other policy documents may tell a fuller story.

Be sure to gather any and all notifications of changes to an employment policy that may be relevant to your case. Even email memos that may have seemed like afterthoughts could have an impact on the development of your workplace environment, and every scrap of evidence to that end should be to your benefit.

Personnel File

Ultimately, the notes that your company keeps on your employment will say a lot about their attitude toward you. Even if discriminatory statements aren't explicit, often times latent biases can be seen in the types of notes and the language used in an employee's personnel file. The file will also likely contain documentation of prior events you may have reported, and if those documents are missing, it could show negligence on behalf of the company.