The Complaint Process for a Federal Employee
If you are a federal employee who suspects that your rights have been violated or that you have been discriminated against, you may be wondering the best way to protect yourself during the process. Initiating your complaint may be confusing, especially when considering that you have probably never experienced mistreatment. This is a primary reason that you need to hire an experienced federal government employment lawyer DC has to offer. A federal employee lawyer, such as one from The Federal Practice Group, can assist federal employees in enduring the equal employment complaint process and protect their rights from the very start. To schedule a consultation with a federal employment lawyer DC provides to men and women, call our firm now.
Step 1: Contact an Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor
If you are a federal employee who is interested in filing a complaint, the first step in the process is contacting an EEO counselor at the agency you work for. It’s important to be aware that you will have a relatively short period of time to come forward. If you are a federal employee, you have 45 days from when you experienced discrimination to report it. Once this has occurred you have two options. You can either move forward with mediation to resolve the issue or you can file a formal complaint with your agency’s office. Your EEO counselor will provide you with instructions for how to pursue this process. Again, the timeframes are relatively short, your agency’s EEO counselor will guide you regarding the procedural process. Following this, you will only have 15 days to take action. If you don’t know whether the time period has lapsed, call a federal government employment lawyer in DC now.
Step 2: Contact a Federal Employee Lawyer Early On
One of the most important factors when engaging in the process is making sure that your rights are protected and kept at the forefront throughout. Because of this, it’s important that you contact a federal government employment lawyer in DC for the guidance and legal representation that you deserve.
Step 3: File a Formal Complaint
Your federal employee lawyer can help you file a complaint with your employer within the very short time frames that are made available to you. Once your complaint has been submitted they will carefully review the complaint and information that you have provided them with. Following this, they will either dismiss the complaint or move forward with the process of conducting an investigation.
Step 4: A Decision Will be Made
Once the federal agency has completed the investigation, they will make an official decision. The decision may involve how they plan to move forward to address discrimination, find that no discrimination has been found or recommend that a hearing be held before the EEOC.
Step 5: File an Appeal
If you are not satisfied with the decision that has been made, you have 30 days to file an appeal. Requesting an appeal is fairly straightforward and can be done online. However, you may want a DC federal government employment lawyer to help you with strategizing your appeal and representing you in the courtroom.
The process for filing a complaint can vary depending upon whether you are a federal employee or employed within the private sector. If you have been poorly treated in the workplace, experienced harassment, discriminated against or faced retaliation, it’s important that you work with a lawyer. Contacting a lawyer with experience in representing federal employees is essential when putting your best foot forward. Start the process today with the protection you deserve with a federal government employment lawyer DC trusts by your side.
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