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Prepare for your interview after making a claim of discrimination

Equal Employment Opportunity: You will be asked for more information in private after you file a claim.

You should get a response within 10 days after you file a complaint of work discrimination, harassment, or intimidation with the City.

It will be from our Equal Employment Opportunity office in Human Resources.

We will ask you to join an "intake interview" to learn more about what happened.

Interview location and length

Your interview will happen either by:

  • Video, or 
  • Phone call, or
  • In person 

It will take:

  • 1 to 3 hours
  • Depending on your number of claims
  • You will get breaks

Prepare for your interview

Be ready with the following information:

  • Dates when the issues happened
  • Names of any witnesses
  • Evidence or materials that can support your claim, like:
    • Photos
    • Written materials, like texts, letters, or emails

It is okay if you do not have all this information. But the more evidence you can provide, the better your chances are for a resolution.

Questions we might ask

Details about the situation

  • What happened?
  • Who is the subject of your complaint?
  • What is your relationship with them?
  • Where did the situation take place?
  • On what dates did it take place?
  • How many times did it happen?

Evidence of the issue

  • Were there any witnesses? If so, what are their names and positions?
  • Do you have any information or materials that can back up your claim?
  • Did you report, or tell anyone else, about your situation? If so, who? And when?

Relation to discrimination

  • Do you believe this issue is related to your identity, such as your race, gender, or religion? If so, why? Please explain.
  • Do you think the behavior is about retaliation? If so, did you report, complain about, or otherwise oppose behavior that you believe was illegal discrimination, harassment or retaliation? Or did you help with the investigation of complaint?

Impact it has had

  • What was the impact on you of this behavior or situation?
  • Did you suffer any negative issues related to your employment, like losing pay or benefits? 
  • Have you taken any time off due to this issue?

What should happen next

  • What would you like to resolve this issue? What is your desired outcome?

Who will know about your complaint

Information from your interview will only be shared in private with people who can help in the situation, like:

  • City Human Resources staff
  • Your department head (unless they are part of your complaint)
  • A representative you bring with you (who cannot answer for you)

To make sure the process is fair and safe, you should not talk about the possible investigation with others. 

After your interview

Wait to hear back after your interview.

We aim to get back with you within 1 month.

If the City decides to investigate

We will give you a summary of what we will investigate.

The person who is accused of illegal behavior will have a chance to respond.

We aim to complete the investigation within 180 days of your first complaint. 

If there is no investigation

We will call you and send you a letter letting you know why. 

When there is no investigation, it is usually because the complaint does not qualify as being against Equal Employment Opportunity law.

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