Employers and Employees
Minnesotans have a right to work in a discrimination-free workplace.
Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, employers are prohibited from discriminating against you because of: your race, disability, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other identities under the law.
The law also prohibits employers from punishing an employee for reporting discrimination. If you believe you experienced discrimination, complete this form 💻.
Employers play an important role in building discrimination-free workplaces.
Examples
These cases show employers how they can proactively prevent discrimination.
- Age Discrimination: The owner of a dental practice said that an employee was “too old to learn new things” and fired her because of her age.
- Sexual Harassment and Assault: Sexual harassment and assault is pervasive in the workplace. For example, a printing company promoted a supervisor despite knowing he sexually harassed and assaulted two employees.
- Disability Discrimination: A windows and doors manufacturer withdrew a job offer to an applicant at their production facility after learning of his disability.
- Race Discrimination: A senior living facility allowed a resident to racially harass an employee and then fired the employee because of her race.
Pay History Law
To help narrow the gender and racial pay gap, employers must rely on an applicant's skills and qualifications to set pay.
This page provides an overview of the law and resources to support employers from asking about an applicant's past or current pay during the hiring process in compliance with the law.
Reasonable Accommodations
Civil rights laws require an employer to reasonably accommodate an individual's disability and/or religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would impose undue hardship on an employer.
An accommodation may include a change to the workplace, the job, the way the job is done, or the application or hiring process.
