If you’re age 40 or older, then depending on the size and type of your employer, you might be entitled to additional workplace protections. Federal law dictates that those companies that employ 20 or more workers, as well as federal and state governments, can’t base their employment decisions solely on someone’s age.
These statutes are meant to protect older workers from being forced out of the workplace in favor of younger individuals. That should give you a sense of relief, right?
Unfortunately, employers have gotten sneaky in how they treat their older workers, often utilizing discriminatory practices that go unnoticed. If you’re on the receiving end of those practices and don’t act to protect your rights, then you could face an adverse employment action that devastates your career and leaves you without the financial stability you need.
How can you spot the signs of age discrimination?
You might think that you’d never let age discrimination happen to you, but that’s how most, if not all, workers feel about the issue. The problem is that many employees don’t know age discrimination when they see it, or they simply downplay its seriousness. The best way to protect yourself from discrimination, then, is to be aware of the signs of discriminatory practices. Here are some that may be prevalent in your workplace and impact you directly:
- Age-related hiring trends: If you notice that older workers are being let go and are being replaced by younger workers, then your employer might be engaging in discrimination. If you’ve been impacted by those practices, then you need to dig deeper into the issue and consider taking legal action.
- Age-related promotion or demotion practices: Promotions and demotions should be based on a candidate’s merit and qualifications. All too often, though, employers take age into consideration. If older workers are disproportionately negatively impacted by these decisions, then your employer may be showing their cards that they’re in support of engaging in discrimination.
- Age-related jokes: There’s a certain amount of joking that goes on in the workplace, but if you’re constantly teased because of your age, it might be indicative of something more than a little fun. This could be a true indication of how your employer feels about older workers like you, and it might be indicative of discriminatory behavior.
- Unequal discipline: Your employer should keep discipline consistent amongst all workers. If older workers are punished more harshly, then your employer might be out to force older workers out of the company. This is discrimination.
- Workplace isolation: Is your employer suddenly cutting you out of important key meetings while including younger workers? Are you not informed of important business decisions that should only be made with your input while younger workers are kept in the loop? This isolation may be your employer’s way of trying to get you to quit with a discriminatory justification attached.
- Unfair performance appraisals: Performance evaluations should be fair. All too often, employers are unfairly harsh on older workers while giving higher marks to younger workers. This can prevent older workers from advancing in their careers, thus stunting their income growth.
Do you think that you’ve been subjected to age discrimination?
If so, then you need to be prepared to stand up to have your voice heard. That’s the only way you’re going to protect your rights, secure accountability, and recover compensation for the harm that’s been caused to you. But building an age discrimination case takes work, so be ready to gather evidence, question witnesses, and educate yourself on the law. That might sound daunting to do on your own, but you don’t have to traverse the legal landscape here on your own.