Indiana's Civil Rights Law (I.C. 22-9-1) extends workplace discrimination protections to employers with six or more employees, providing broader coverage than the federal anti-discrimination floor of 15 employees. The Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) enforces the law, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, and ancestry. Employees must file a charge with the ICRC within 180 days of the discriminatory act — a shorter window than the 300-day federal filing period with the EEOC, and one that trips up many Indiana workers who wait too long to act. Simultaneous filing with both the ICRC and EEOC is possible and generally advisable to preserve all options.

Indiana is a right-to-work state under I.C. 22-6-6 and an at-will employment state, meaning employment relationships can be terminated by either party without cause. However, the at-will doctrine has important exceptions in Indiana: termination that violates a clear public policy (such as firing an employee for filing a workers' compensation claim) can support a wrongful termination claim in tort. Indiana recognizes a public policy exception developed through case law rather than a broad wrongful termination statute, so the contours of this protection require careful analysis in each case.