Employment discrimination has been a long-time problem in many states in the U.S. This occurs whenever the employers or the top ranking official in a company unjustly single out their employees or applicants based on the following reasons:

• age
• color or race
• gender
• religious affiliation
• nationality
• disability
• other grounds

Created in 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) aims to end such problems, which affect the morale of the workforce. This agency has been deputized to enforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that affects the labor sector and to promote government programs to achieve equal employment opportunity for the people. Since 2000, the commission has been involved in the resolution of labor disputes, with an average of more than 75,000 charges every year.

Employment Laws
After the establishment of the EEOC, numerous federal laws have been implemented to provide protection to the workers. Usually, other state labor legislations were based on these statutes depending on the need of a particular jurisdiction.

Examples of major employment discrimination laws are:

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
• Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Equal Pay Act of 1963
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Bankruptcy Act
• Civil Service Reform Act
• Whistleblower Protection Act

These laws prohibit various acts of discrimination in a workplace and lay down the employees’ rights in case of such discriminative actions have been exercised by their employers. Primarily, these provisions forbid employers to point out employees in these aspects of employment:

• Hiring and dismissal process
• Wage, tasking, or classification of employees
• Job promotion or discharge
• Work advertisements
• Recruitment procedures
• Assessment
• Utilization of business facilities and equipment
• Training and skills enhancement programs
• Handing over of benefits, grants and other employment privileges

Legal Application
All the aforementioned laws guarantee equal opportunity to the employees. Hence, for an employer’s action to be considered as illegal, a discriminated employee must prove the violation by presenting preponderance of evinces. With this, it is in his right and determination to hire a competent employment lawyer to advocate his cause.

Not seemingly, a qualified employment lawyer’s help can boost a discriminated worker’s case. That is, since a legal counsel knows the specific provision that may apply in a particular labor dispute and fully understands the necessary procedures in pursuing a discrimination claim. Thus, acquiring an expert lawyer will definitely increase the possibility of a winning lawsuit.

On the other hand, if in case a discriminated employee wishes to resolve the matter immediately, he may also ask his lawyer to settle his case through an out of court settlement. Here, a lawyer will calculate the damages suitable for the circumstances and subsequently arranges with the employer.

Many people hate their jobs but don’t have the courage to go out on their own, start a business and give self employment a try. Self employment can be tough, it’s not right for everyone, but for some people self employment is the best way to work and the only way they can really be successful. How will you know if self employment is right for you? In order to know if self-employment is a good fit for you it’s essential that you take an honest assessment of your personality. Can you work independently? Do you like to work on your own? Can you set goals and complete tasks without being told to do so? Can you think creatively and solve problems on your own? Would you rather be in charge than take orders from someone else?

If you answered yes to most, or all of those questions then self employment might be a good fit for you. Self employment can be scary because you won’t have the security of a regular paycheck coming in week to week and a lot of people worry that they won’t make enough money being self employed to cover their expenses. But when you’re self employed you can make a lot more money than you can working for someone else because all the money you make goes directly into your pocket instead of going to a corporation.

Still, when you leave the security of your job for home business self employment it’s a very smart idea to have enough money saved to cover at least a month’s worth of expenses. Two month’s worth is best, because then you will have the financial cushion that you need to feel safe and know that your bills will be covered. In order to really be successful at being self employed you need to be disciplined and you need to have direction with your business. After all, when you work at home or work for yourself there won’t be anyone telling you what time you need to start, or what time you can stop, or what needs to be done, or what calls need to be returned. You will need to do all of that yourself so it’s important that you are disciplined to make yourself work if you’re going to try a home business.

If you don’t have enough discipline to make yourself work without someone telling you to work then self employment might not be the best career choice for you. If you are not cut out for self employment then you should stay at your current job, because if it’s not a good fit for your personality type then you could fail miserably and burn through all your savings pretty fast. Self employment can be great for certain people. If you have always wanted to try a home business and you think you have the right temperament for it you should go for it. Take charge of your career and your life and go for it. Work for yourself!