Disparate treatment is a form of workplace discrimination that occurs when an employer treats an employee worse than others because of a protected characteristic—such as race, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, or sexual orientation—or because the employee engaged in protected activity, like reporting discrimination or requesting an accommodation. In plain terms, it means this: The same rules exist, but they are applied differently to you, because you belong to a prot

Most employees don’t start researching leave laws until they’re already under stress. You may be dealing with a serious health issue, welcoming a new child, or caring for a family member—while HR starts using acronyms like FMLA and PFML and expects you to keep up. In Washington, two laws usually come into play in these moments: the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). They sound similar, but they serve different purp