• It is illegal to discriminate based on protected categories in any aspect of employment.

It is illegal to discriminate based on protected categories in any aspect of employment, including:

• Hiring and firing;
• Compensation, assignment, or classification of employees;
• Transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall;
• Job advertisements;
• Recruitment;
• Testing;
• Use of company facilities;
• Training and apprenticeship programs;
• Fringe benefits;
• Pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or
• Other terms and conditions of employment.

Discriminatory practices include, but are not limited to:

• Harassment based on:
  • Race,
  • Color,
  • Religion,
  • Sex,
  • National origin,
  • Pregnancy,
  • Disability, or
  • Age;

• Retaliation against an individual for:
  • Filing a charge of discrimination,
  • Participating in an investigation, or
  • Opposing discriminatory practices;

• Employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of a certain:
  • Sex,
  • Race,
  • Age,
  • Religion,
  • Ethnic group, or
  • Disability; and

• Denying employment opportunities because of marriage to, or association with, an individual of a particular:
  • Race,
  • Religion,
  • National origin; or
  • Disability.
    • Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group.

The federal discrimination laws not only protect employees, but also protect non-employees. For example, employers could be held liable for the:

• Harassing acts of an independent contractor against their employees, if the company fails to address the conduct; and
• Actions of their employees against customers.