We get a lot of calls from people in New Jersey who are complaining that the boss is treating them differently from other employees. On its face, there’s nothing wrong with that. An employer is entitled to treat people differently based on their performance, based on their value to the company, based on whether he likes them or not. Where it becomes unlawful is if that different treatment is based on a characteristic that the law protects. These include things such as race, gender, ethnic background, religion, and other things about you that the law will protect.

 In certain cases, where you have some evidence, whether it’s direct or circumstantial that the employer is treating you differently from others on that basis, we can take action on your behalf. Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with people being people, and people can have favorites.