In movies and television shows, discrimination in the workplace is blatantly obvious. The supervisor makes a rude comment about someone’s race or sex when denying them an advancement opportunity or telling them about their termination.
In the real world, workplace discrimination tends to be a bit more subtle. Those who work in management and human resources are aware that blatant discrimination can lead to lawsuits against the company and might put their employment at risk. Modern employment discrimination can be harder to identify, but it can still be very damaging for the people targeted in the workplace due to their protected characteristics.
What are some of the ways that discrimination manifests in the modern employment landscape?
Denied advancement opportunities
One of the most frustrating professional experiences is career stagnation. A professional theoretically meets all of the necessary requirements for a better position, but their employer passes them over for someone with less experience and fewer credentials. One such lost opportunity might simply be unfortunate. If a worker finds themselves repeatedly denied advancement opportunities in favor of those with fewer credentials, that can be a sign of the company taking factors they shouldn’t into consideration.
Ignored workplace hostility
Workplace harassment can be a warning sign of discrimination. Employers have an obligation to provide a safe workplace for people regardless of their sex, age, race and other personal characteristics. If coworkers or managers mistreat someone based on their protected characteristics, the employee should be able to trust management to intervene on their behalf. In scenarios where companies do not take action over reports of workplace harassment, that can constitute discrimination.
Decisions that affect one group unfairly
Companies sometimes have to make large-scale decisions about staffing. During economic downturns or after a merger with another company, eliminating numerous positions at once can be necessary. When a certain group seems to have disproportionate representation among the workers terminated, that can be an indicator of discrimination. If most of the workers over the age of 40 at the company get laid off at once or if there are more members of certain races losing their jobs, that can be a sign of bias affecting decisions made by management or human resources.
Employees who have experienced workplace discrimination may have grounds to take legal action against their employers. Fighting employment discrimination can be especially important in cases where workers lose advancement opportunities or their jobs because companies consider factors they shouldn’t when making employment decisions.