Show:
Harassment
PROTECTED CLASSES
RETALIATION
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
SERVICE ANIMALS/misc
100

Mary is working on a project with a group of staff from another division. A manager on the team asks Mary out on a date, and she refuses. She notices that after turning him down, she is given less responsibility on the team. Is this a potential harassment complaint?

Yes - potentially a harassment complaint based on quid pro quo.

100

A workplace has a smoke-free rule. When the manager tells an employee that he can’t smoke at a company picnic, the tenant tells the manager that the rule violates his rights and is discriminatory.

Smoking is not a protected class. Consistently enforcing a no-smoking policy is not discriminatory.

100
An employer is experiencing economic hardships and needs to lay off employees. Is the employer allowed to lay off an employee who has filed a charge of discrimination?
Answer: Yes - as long as the decision to lay off the employee is not based in retaliation.
100
Frank has a mobility limitation, and asks for a reserved employee parking spot close to his building. Management refuses because no employees have reserved spots and driving is not a part of the job. Is this discriminatory?
Answer: No.
100
Describe the kind of training necessary for an animal to become a service animal.
Answer: The animal must be trained to perform a task that is medically necessary to assist a person with a disability.
200
Sandra believes that her supervisor is more critical of her work than the work of co-workers of a different race. She complains to the manager that her supervisor is mean to her and has higher standards for her work than the work of her co-workers. Has Sandra put her employer on notice of perceived harassment?
Perhaps. It depends on whether Sandra made it clear that she believes her different treatment is based on race.
200

Karen is 24 years old. In a job interview she is told she is too young for the job. Is this discriminatory?

Yes. Age discrimination in Seattle can apply to people of all ages.

200
Carol complains to Human Resources that her manager has sexually harassed her. HR disciplines the manager and transfers Carol to another job in the company under a different manager. The new position is the same pay as the old one but gives Carol less exposure and fewer chances for promotions. Is this discriminatory?
Answer: Yes. Unless Carol agrees to the new position, an agreement should be worked out that doesn’t punish Carol for raising the complaint.
200
An employee requests an accommodation from her employer. She doesn’t fill out the company’s required accommodation form and is told that they will not discuss her request until she completes their form. Is their action discriminatory?
Yes. ADA and local laws on disabilities do not require yuo to fill out a form. However, the form may be helpful for documentation purposes.
200
A workplace consistently applies a no pet policy to all pets including service animals. Is this discriminatory?
Answer: Yes. A workplace cannot apply a no pet policy to a person’s service animal.
300
Tim receives emails from his co-workers that contain derogatory jokes about gay people. He lets his manager know that he doesn’t approve of these emails and wants them to stop. No action is taken since his manager knows Tim is married to a woman and doesn’t think he should find the emails offensive. Can Tim file a harassment complaint?
Possibly. Tim's feeling of harassment does not depend on his own sexual orientation. His manager's unwillingness to address Tim's situation potentially opens up the employer to liability.
300
What is the most frequently filed protected class complaint at the Seattle Office for Civil Rights?
Disability
300
Jim asks his employer for a reasonable accommodation for his disability. The employer denies his accommodation request. After denying Jim's accommodation request, the employer gives Jim a bad performance review because Jim did not meet the productivity goals that were set out for him at the beginning of the year. Is this retaliation?
No.
300
Mike asks his manager for a bigger screen to be installed at his workstation an accomodation for his disability. The manager denies Mike's request because nobody else in the workgroup has a bigger screen. Is this discrimination?
Answer: Yes. Accommodations may require an employer to treat people more favorably.
300
Gary walks into a restaurant with his service animal and puts his name on the waitlist. The manager tells him they are not allowed to have service animals in the restaurant because of health codes. However, the manager moves Gary to the top of the waitlist and offers him a seat on the patio. Are the manager’s actions discriminatory?
Answer: Yes. Service animals are allowed to be in any area of a restaurant where the general public is allowed to be.
400
Sarah has returned from serving in Iraq. She is back at her job and her co-workers are constantly making jokes about her having PTSD. She doesn’t have PTSD but their constant jokes create a stressful and harassing work environment for her. Is she a member of one or more protected class(es)? On what basis could she file a discrimination charge?
Yes. She could file a complaint based on her coworkers' creating a hostile work environment based on a perceived disability.
400
A female employee asks for a reduced work schedule simply because she is pregnant. Her employer refuses. Is this discriminatory?
Answer: No. Pregnancy is not a disability.
400
James participated in a workplace investigation concerning his boss. The investigation involved allegations from James' coworker that his boss sexually harassed another employee. After James participated in the investigation, the boss demoted James even though he did not violate any workplace policies and was performing well. Is this illegal discrimination?
Yes. It is retaliation if the boss targeted James for demotion simply because he participated in the boss's harassment investigation.
400
How long do you have to file a charge of discrimination with SOCR from the date the incident occurred?
Answer: 180 days
400
Maria is told she cannot speak Tagalog during her work. She is fluent in English, but she enjoys talking in her first language with her coworkers who are also Filipino. Is the action of the employer discriminatory?
Probably. English-only rules generally are discriminatory, unless the business can show that speaking English is a necessity.
500

Mary is constantly subjected to disparaging comments about her pet rabbit. Employees make fun of the rabbit because it looks overweight in a picture that Mary forwarded to everyone. Mary told her boss about the harassment, and yet her boss never made any effort to stop Mary's coworker's from making comments about the rabbit. Is this illegal harassment?

No. There is no protected class for pet owners.

500
A company has a no-beard policy. Name four protected classes that this policy could negatively impact.
Answer: religion, gender, disability, gender identity, and race (pseudofolliculitis barbae is skin condition that affects many African-American men and results in facial skin infections from shaving).
500
Jim told his boss that he is incompetent. The boss was offended and wrote Jim up for inappropriate conduct. Is this unlawful retaliation?
No.
500
Consider the following medical conditions: Broken foot Anxiety Fragrance sensitivity Under Washington law, which of these conditions qualifies as a disability for the reasonable accommodations process?
Answer: All of them possibly qualify.
500
You are helping a friend get a job with the City. She has a criminal record dating back over twenty years. In the interview she is asked if she has a criminal record. She answers yes and explains her situation and the length of time since the date of the conviction. She is not hired for the job, and is told it is because of her criminal conviction. Is this discriminatory?
Yes. It possibly violates state law.