Glossary of Employee Discrimination Terms Kansas

age discrimination - Treating employees differently because of their age.

disability discrimination- Disability discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee differently because the employee has a disability, has a history of a disability, or is perceived by the employer as disabled.

disability benefits- Compensation from the government for an injury or medical condition that impairs a person's ability to work. These benefits are exempt property in bankruptcy.

discrimination- "Discrimination" occurs when an employer treats some workers differently from other workers. Discriminatory acts include making employees work under unequal working conditions (such as lower pay or benefits), failing to promote the employees, or firing the employees. Not all "discrimination" is illegal discrimination. Discrimination is illegal if it occurs because the employee is in a certain "protected" class of people, such as a racial or religious minority.

grievance- A written claim that a union files for a worker against an employer. A grievance explains why an employer's actions against a worker were not for "good cause" or were in violation of the union's collective bargaining agreement with the employer.

intentional infliction of emotional distress- A legal claim brought against an employer by an employee who suffered emotional distress at the hands of an employer whose conduct was so outrageous that a court would consider the conduct "beyond the bounds of common decency".

pregnancy discrimination - Pregnancy discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee differently because she is pregnant.

sex discrimination Sex - discrimination (also known as "gender discrimination") occurs when an employer treats an employee differently because of the employee's sex or because of a characteristic that is related to the employee's sex.

sexual harassment - Sexual harassment occurs when there is a "hostile work environment" - which is "severe or pervasive" unwelcome sexual conduct related to the workplace, such as sex jokes, posters or flyers that make fun of women, unwanted touching, requests for sexual favors, comments about a person's body or sexuality, or actual sexual assault or rape. Sex harassment also occurs when an employer denies an employee a promotion or fires an employee if the employee doesn't engage in sex with him or her.

sexual orientation discrimination - Sexual orientation discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee differently because the employee is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Although there is no federal law that protects employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, some states and cities have laws that prohibit discrimination because an employee is gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

veteran status discrimination - Veteran status discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee differently because of the employee's military veteran status.

whistle blower- A person who reports his employer to the police or a state or federal agency for some violation of the law. Whistle blower protection laws prevent employers from firing workers in revenge for whistle blowing.

wrongful termination lawsuit - A lawsuit filed by an employee against a former employer who used illegal methods to terminate an employee. Also known as a "wrongful discharge lawsuit."

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