There are many ways in which an employer may discriminate against an employee or group of employees based on many factors. The same applies for “outing” applicants for some specific reason. Now you can find out about the various types of discrimination you might see in the workplace and what you can do about it.
Types of Workplace Discrimination
- Age: Age discrimination includes treating somebody, whether an applicant or employee, less favorably because of his or her age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) is in play to forbid age discrimination against people who are age 40 and older.
- Disability: This type of discrimination occurs when an employer is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and yet continues to treat an individual with a disability unfavorably just because of that disability. The law requires reasonable accommodation to these employees, as long as it is within their expenses.
- Equal Pay/Compensation: Under the Equal Pay Act, it is required that women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. It is illegal to discriminate based on sex in pay and benefits.
- Genetic Information: It is illegal to discriminate against employees or applicants based on genetic information. This includes things like information about an individual’s genetic tests and the genetic tests of an individual’s family members.
- Harassment: Harassment is seen as illegal if you are being harassed because of things like race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and more.
- National Origin: This discrimination includes treating people unfavorably because they are from a particular country or part of the world. It can also apply to those who are treated differently or unfairly because of ethnicity or accent.
- Pregnancy: This involves treating women unfavorably because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition relating to both. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) forbids this discrimination from taking place in any part of the employment process.
- Race/Color: This includes treating an applicant or employee unfavorably only because they are of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race. Color discrimination involves treating someone badly because of skin color complexion.
- Religion: This includes treating a person badly because of his or her religious beliefs. This includes people who belong to traditional religions and also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical, or moral beliefs.
- Retaliation: It is illegal to fire, harass, demote, or otherwise “retaliate” against people because they filed a charge of discrimination.
- Sex: This involves treating someone unfavorably because of his or her sex. It also includes treating someone less favorably because of his or her connection with an organization or group that is generally associated with people of a certain sex.
- Sexual Harassment: It is illegal to harass a person because of the person’s sex as well (USA.gov).
What Action Should You Take if You Believe You Are Being Discriminated Against?
You should make your employer aware that you feel you are being discriminated against despite if they readily admit it or not. You are always responsible for making sure that your personal rights are protected when an employer will not. However, you should always let the employer know that you are taking the matter seriously by asking that a written report be made every time you report an incident of discrimination or harassment.
You should ask for an investigation to be made about the allegations. If you don’t receive a response from your employer, you should consider contacting the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). They have a responsibility for overseeing compliance for many federal anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws (FindLaw).
If you believe you need guidance during this time, an attorney will be able to help you sort through the complex laws that apply to the process. You should contact the RAWA Law Group today to retain your rights. Don’t let an employer take you for granted and discriminate against you… Call today!
Works Cited
USA.gov. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2015. Web. Accessed Nov 10, 2015. https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/
FindLaw. Thomson Reuters, 2015. Web. Accessed Nov 10, 2015. https://employment.findlaw.com/employment-discrimination/dealing-with-discrimination-tips-for-employees.html