Generally

• Employers are prohibited from sexually harassing and from discriminating on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, religion, and national origin. Additionally, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who assert their civil rights.
  
  

Time Frame

• Employee's civil rights apply as soon as the employee, or potential employee, submits a job application. The employee's civil rights continue in effect until the employment relationship is legally terminated.
  
  

Enforcement

• Employee civil rights are enforced by various federal agencies. The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) enforces most of the discrimination laws, while the U.S. Department of Justice enforces most harassment complaints.
  
  

Complaints

• If rights have been violated, the employee should filed a complaint with the enforcing federal agency. Most laws require that the complaint be filed within 180 days of the alleged violation.
  
  

Misconceptions

• A common belief is that employees have a right to their job, so if they are ever fired for no reason, their employer has somehow broken the law. This is simply not true. For the most part, employers can fire employees for any legitimate business reason, or even for personal reasons, as long as it is not for age, disability, gender, race, religion or national origin.