Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 & Workplace Discrimination Laws
Title VII and various federal and state laws prohibit employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, genetic history, and more in all aspects of an employment relationship.
Experts in Workplace Discrimination and Harassment
When it comes to partnering with businesses and institutions to address discrimination and harassment in the workplace, our founders and directors have vast experience.
We are able to partner with companies to strengthen their employee programs, deliver neutral investigations, resolve incidents, and coach and train leadership and employees in legally compliant, best practices.
Services for the Workplace
What to Know
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued updated materials on “national origin discrimination and Anti-American bias” on November 19, 2025.
The updated materials include a one-page fact sheet (available in pdf or on the website) titled “Discrimination Against American Workers Is Against The Law.” This document reiterates that the protection in Title VII from discrimination on the basis of national origin also protects Americans from such discrimination. The fact sheet defines disparate treatment, harassment, and retaliation, and specifically prohibits “discriminatory job advertisements.” Examples provided of discriminatory job advertisements include “ads that say the employer prefers or requires applicants from a particular country or with a particular visa status (for example, ‘H-1B preferred’ or ‘H-1B only’).”
Another component of the updated materials is the revised landing page on national origin discrimination. The page has been updated in accordance with the press release and fact sheet to clarify the prohibition on national origin discrimination does indeed protect Americans from discrimination on the basis of being American.
These updates align with previous communications from the EEOC about its priorities, including protecting American workers from “anti-American bias.”
Title VII Workplace Guide to Compliance
The List
The Tools
- Convene HR, legal, risk, compliance, and leadership to assess the current employment law landscape and its impact on your workforce. Identify needed updates to policies, procedures, and communications to ensure compliance while reflecting organizational values.
- Review and update anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and anti-retaliation policies to align with Title VII and current best practices.
- Establish clear SOPs for receiving, investigating, and resolving workplace discrimination and harassment complaints. Define roles, timelines, and documentation standards.
- Communicate employee rights and reporting options under Title VII. Ensure information about how to make a report and whom to contact for more information is visible and current across handbooks, intranet pages, and onboarding materials.
- Deliver targeted training for managers, supervisors, HR, and others likely to receive reports or implement Title VII policies about their roles and responsibilities.
- Consistently document complaints and the complaint response and resolution process including investigation steps, findings, and outcomes. Strong recordkeeping supports compliance, accountability, and risk mitigation.
- Inaction or delay increases risk. Timely, fair responses are essential to compliance and workplace trust. When investigations are needed, employ a neutral investigator and provide clear communications about the process that will be used prior to and during the investigation process.
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