Gather indicators — the other side carries the proof
The Act does not require full proof of discrimination. Indicators that make it presumable are enough: the other side then has to prove no breach occurred.
✓ Verified: 11/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
Write up the conversation the same day in your own words, with the date and the people present. Such notes are not proof in themselves, but they preserve the details that later become indicators.
A job advert has a short life: pages come down after a few weeks. Save it immediately as a file with a visible date rather than as a link.
Useful Tools
- Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes legal-info
Federal anti-discrimination agency: free advice on the AGG and a map of local counselling centres.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What has to be proved? ▾
Indicators that make disadvantage on a statutory ground presumable. Once they are proved, the other party bears the burden of proving that no breach occurred. This is the central provision of the Act.
What works as an indicator? ▾
The wording of the job advert, sentences from the interview, the composition of the department, pay differences for equal work, the sequence of events around a pregnancy or a declared disability, correspondence. The sum works better than any single item.
Where do you complain inside the company? ▾
The Act gives a right to complain to the responsible bodies of the establishment, the company or the public authority where employees feel disadvantaged by the employer, superiors, colleagues or third parties. The complaint must be examined and the outcome communicated.
Will complaining backfire? ▾
The Act prohibits disadvantaging employees for asserting their rights or for refusing to carry out an unlawful instruction. The same protection extends to those who support them and to witnesses.
Does the employer have duties in advance? ▾
Yes, the Act imposes protective duties, including training staff and making the rules known, for instance by posting them at a suitable place in the establishment.