The following is not legal advice and is not represented as such. The author of this document is not a licensed practicing attorney and should not be relied upon to give, recommend, make or advise on legal matters. If you have an issue that requires professional legal help, please seek out your local Department of Labor and/or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission offices, ask your attorney or seek a referral in your jurisdiction.
The following information is applicable only to businesses and persons working in the United States of America. These are federal laws and, as such, apply universally within any United States of America state or territory. Furthermore, there may be state, county and municipal laws applicable to you and your employer in addition to federal law. If you have a legal issue, seek out the appropriate resource for your situation. The law and legal field are constantly evolving and changing. As appellate courts and supreme courts rule on issues, you may find that your basis for action has expanded or narrowed.
It is not acceptable to conduct, receive or tolerate harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, a related condition to pregnancy or childbirth, age, disability and genetic information. It is not acceptable to conduct, receive or witness without reporting retaliation. It is not acceptable to conduct, receive or witness without reporting a violation of the Equal Pay Act.
Harassment can be overt or covert. Harassment does not need to be directed at you explicitly. If someone sends an inappropriate office email asking coworkers to rate the women, or posts an inappropriate photo without a business related reason (e.g., nude photos for an anatomy artist vs. a weapons artist), then they are (likely) violating your right to a workplace free from harassment. Inform your human resources department. If your human resources department fails to act, then they are culpable as well. If someone uses the phrase "culture fit," that is a clue that harassment may be part of the organizational culture and you should be cautious. Know your rights, exercise them and keep documentation (records) of the act(s). If you are a contractor or subcontractor for the Federal government, there may be additional laws (not represented here) that apply to you.
There is a time limit to filing charges (which may be extended by state laws) of 180 days.
If you are in a leadership position within an organization, be it over one person or a team of fifty, it is your responsibility to ensure a safe work environment for all of your subordinates. Learn the law, know the law, do not skirt the law. Company "culture" is not an excuse to create or tolerate a hostile work environment.
Unions are trade and labor organizations created to increase the collective bargaining power of non-executive laborers in one or more industries to ensure a minimum standard is met by all companies and firms employing workers in those industries, create commonly accessible resources for members (e.g., legal representation in employment related matters), and increasing the membership. While there is no predominant union organization for computer graphics workers, there is an increasing call for the legal formation and use of one (or more) across the industry. For more information regarding joining a union in the video game industry, please see the predominant organization (at the time of this writing) Game Workers Unite web page.
It is illegal for any business in the United States of America, regardless of number of employees, to employ any persons that are not U.S. citizens and/or not authorized to work in the USA (no green card). If a person's reason for entry to the United States was not to work (e.g., college studies) then that person cannot legally be employed. See the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for more info.