Employees are protected from discrimination. Discrimination may target an employee’s race, skin color, health, sexual attraction, age, religion, parental status or national origin.
While many employees understand their protective rights, they often can’t spot the signs of discrimination. Here are a few signs to look for if you believe you’re a victim of discrimination:
1. Lack of diversity
Race discrimination is an ongoing battle that many workers face. One clear sign of racial discrimination is the diversity in the workplace. Someone of color may notice that a workplace is primarily of an opposite race, which may sign that diversity is unwelcome.
Furthermore, if a workplace has a high number of resignations from a certain demographic, then it could mean these former employees suffered discrimination and left for better work environments.
2. Inappropriate comments
Many workers face discriminatory comments. For example, people who have disabilities may suffer ableist comments from co-workers and employers. Ableism is the prejudice toward people with disabilities under the belief that they are lesser than abled people. These comments may joke or mock a worker’s inability to perform certain tasks.
Inappropriate comments may also target people who have different religious beliefs. For instance, someone may make an aggressive comment toward someone who is practicing their beliefs. Or these comments may target someone’s religious apparel.
3. Gendered assigned roles
Some employers believe their employees can only do certain tasks or hold roles based on their gender. For example, an employer may only hire female secretaries while withholding executive or manager roles from women. If these female employees were to ever enter a higher position, they may face excessive work intended to demoralize or demean their abilities.
While women have often been the target of discrimination, this issue is not exclusive. For example, companies overcorrect gender discrimination by giving women more opportunities than men as a form of positive discrimination. As a result, male workers may lose promotional opportunities despite their qualifications.
Have you been the target of discrimination at your workplace? Then you may wish to understand what legal steps you should take to make a safer work environment for you and others.