You have probably already heard the word discrimination being used countless times before, however, do you know what it actually means and how it can present itself in real life? And do you know how it applies to you in the context of your employment? When someone is discriminated against, it means that they are treated differently, or in a less favorable way. Discrimination can happen while you are at work, school, or visiting a public place. You may be discriminated against by managers, business owners, coaches, teachers, school friends, co-workers, and more.
Discrimination in the workplace is unfortunately something many people and encounter every single day when they go into work. Discrimination may not always be overt, as it can be subtle and less obvious, but still happening behind closed doors. Employees may face protracted abuse from co-workers and supervisors due to lack awareness of their employment rights and laws for the United States. Some employees may not realize that what they are going through is actually considered discrimination by law. As an employment discrimination lawyer residents trust from Disparti Law Group can attest, here are some signs that you may be the victim of workplace discrimination:
- There are inappropriate comments and jokes being made, offensive remarks, or other statements that make people feel uncomfortable.
- There is an obvious lack of diversity among coworkers and managers. Everyone in the workplace may seem to fit into a specific profile category, which can indicate seriously discriminatory hiring practices.
- Those who get advancement seem to have certain qualities, or there appears to be gender-specific roles for many of the workers.
- There are incidents where someone is passed over for a promotion, and the position was yielded to someone less qualified, but likely due to having preferred characteristic qualities.
- Pointed questions or improper comments are made during the interview process. The employer may seem to alter the hiring process depending on the candidate’s qualities, instead of hiring on the basis of qualification.
- Employers may treat employees adversely due to their protected characteristics by giving them poor performance reviews that are unwarranted. Employers may purposefully use poor reviews as a way to hide their true intentions behind promotion or firing decisions.
- Employers may commit selective discipline, where some employees are subjected to much harsher repercussions than others for infractions. A company that deviates from their disciplinary policies may constitute employment discrimination.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commision (EEOC) is responsible for protecting the public from employment discrimination due to protected characteristics such as color, race, sex, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, national origin, or genetic information. The laws that get enforced by the EEOC helps protect people from employment discrimination when it comes to harassment, retaliation, unfair treatment, denial of reasonable accommodation, and improper questioning. As a Disparti Law Group team member may offer, if there are signs of discrimination happening at your workplace, then now is the time to get help before the matter can escalate and result in further incidents.