So You Have an Intake Interview

Thank you for contacting the Department of Labor and Industry's Human Rights Bureau. If you have been scheduled for an intake interview or would like to be scheduled for an intake interview, here is some general information.  If you would like to schedule an intake interview, please call the Human Rights Bureau at 800-542-0807.
  • An intake interview is where you talk, typically over the phone, with one of our trained investigators to see whether your concerns of discrimination are a good match for the laws enforced by the Human Rights Bureau. The Human Rights Bureau only has limited authority to look at discrimination in certain protected areas and certain protected classes. If it is a good match, the investigator will draft a complaint of discrimination for your consideration.  If we do not think it’s a good match, the investigator should be able to refer you to a more appropriate office, or you are free to draft and file your own complaint.  Please note, in most cases, a person only has 180 days from the date of the "bad act" to file with the Human Rights Bureau.  (This time may be extended, but only in limited circumstances.)
  • In order to get ready for your intake, we need you to give us accurate contact information.  It is your responsibility to provide us with the correct name(s), address, and phone number of the person or entity against whom you're thinking of filing a complaint.  Be ready to give us a clear timeline of what happened and when it happened (dates if possible).  We do not need you to send us any paperwork in advance of the intake. Also, we’re going to ask you what you hope to achieve by filing a complaint, so think about this before your intake.
  • An intake may take up to an hour.
  • You do not need an attorney to file a complaint with the Human Rights Bureau.  Of course, you're free to seek the assistance of counsel, but it is not required.
  • The Human Rights Bureau does not represent either the person bringing the complaint or the person defending a complaint.  The Human Rights Bureau is the neutral agency that informally and objectively investigates the allegations made in the complaint.
  • An intake call does not mean a charge of discrimination has been filed.  We do not begin investigating until we receive a signed complaint.
  • The investigation is informal.  The Human Rights Bureau is neutral and does not advocate for the interests of either the person filing the complaint or the person defending the complaint. Our job is to figure out whether there is evidence that supports the allegations of unlawful discrimination.  Typically, we talk to the parties, witnesses, and gather any documentation that may help us in figuring this out.  It can take up to six months to complete an investigation.

  •  If you choose to file a complaint with the Human Rights Bureau, the intake notes become part of the investigative file.  As a party to a proceeding, you can assert a privacy interest in information contained in our investigative file and it will not be released unless the person requesting this information can show that their right to know outweighs your right to privacy.

    If you would like to schedule an intake interview, please call the Human Rights Bureau at 800-542-0807.

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