Workplace discrimination can happen during an interview, shortly after you started a new job, or after 20 years of working for a company. Discrimination can happen to anyone, in any job industry.
If you believe you were mistreated, denied a promotion or terminated without cause, you may have faced employment discrimination. Here are 10 types of discrimination and how you can take action against your employer.
10 forms of discrimination
- Age-based
- Gender
- Race/ethnicity
- Disability
- Religion
- Genetic information
- National origin
- Pregnancy
- Illness
- Wrongful termination
If your boss treats you differently than your coworkers based on one of the 10 forms of discrimination, you should immediately report it to your company’s Human Resources (HR) department. You may also choose to report discrimination to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
You may choose to take legal action against your employer if the discrimination led you to quit your job. An experienced employment law attorney may be able to represent your case.
Hostile work environment
Discrimination can lead to a hostile work environment. A work environment becomes hostile when an employee has trouble completing their work because of the discrimination they face.
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment includes jokes, unwanted attention or advancements towards a person based on their sexual orientation or gender. The company should take sexual harassment claims seriously. Most companies terminate employees if they have harassed another employee.
Retaliation after discrimination
The most common form of discrimination is retaliation. Retaliation occurs when an employee faces consequences after filing a discrimination complaint against a coworker, manager or boss. Nearly 50% of all complaints that were reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission were retaliation-based claims.
In any case of workplace discrimination, it is important for the employee to document the discrimination and report it to their supervisor or HR. Even if legal action is not immediately necessary, it could become necessary. Hopefully, it won’t happen to you, but if it does, it is best to be prepared.
