Discrimination is a terrible thing that our society has been fighting to control and get rid of for a long time. While a lot of progress has been made over the past few decades, there is still a lot of discrimination in the workplace today.
There are five common types of workplace discrimination that take place in the workplace today that employment law professional, corporations, and individual people need to continue to work hard to prevent from happening.
1. Racial Discrimination
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For those that work in employment law, one of the most common types of discrimination that needs to be dealt with is racial discrimination.
This type of discrimination occurs whenever someone is being treated unfairly due to their race. There are some obvious situations in which racial discrimination can take place, such as when someone is fired, demoted, loses hours or benefits, or suffers another professional setback due to their race.
However, there are other common types of racial discrimination as well. These can include making racist statements, singling someone out for their race, or making comments with racial overtones.
2. Gender Discrimination
Another very common form of discrimination occurs when someone is discriminated against due to his or her gender.
If an employer makes an employment decision, chooses to provide a promotion to someone, or makes other similar decisions while factoring in the gender of an individual.
Gender discrimination has been a major focus over the past few decades as employment law professionals work to end the pay inequality and other barriers that women face in the workplace.
3. Age Discrimination
credits: personnel today
One of the biggest concerns that people have as they continue to age is the concern that they will have a hard time getting employment opportunities.
Today, many people feel that they are being passed over for new jobs and promotions due to their age. If this takes place, it is a clear example of workplace age discrimination.
Other types of age discrimination can include if people tease someone about their age or if they are not invited to certain project because of their age.
4. Retaliation Discrimination
If you feel that you are being harassed or discriminated against in your workplace, you will have the right to tell your manager, HR director, company owner, or other relevant party.
In these situations, most companies will do a good job of investigating the issue to determine what occurred, which ensures your rights are represented properly.
However, some people have reported that they are suddenly fired or otherwise punished for simply reporting the situation. If this occurs to you, it is a clear example of retaliation discrimination.
5. Pregnancy Discrimination
Having a child is a very momentous occasion in anyone’s life. However, it is also an expensive situation for employers as they will likely see an increase in medical insurance costs and will have to find a temporary replacement while the woman is on pregnancy leave.
While this is can be a tough time for an employer, they are required by law to continue to support and employ the pregnant individual. If you are fired, demoted, or otherwise punished for being pregnant, it is an example of pregnancy discrimination.
