Discrimination is when people treat others harshly or unfairly due to certain traits such as their sex, race or religion. People might make rude comments or talk negatively about you behind your back. In some cases, your fellow employees might not talk to you at all and ignore any attempts you make to communicate with them.
If another employee treats you poorly for characteristics that are irrelevant to the workplace, then they are discriminating against you. Knowing how to identify unfair treatment when it happens is an important step in addressing it.
Examples of unfair treatment in the workplace
In the workplace, both employees and employers might treat you differently from other people. Some of the most prominent signs of workplace discrimination include:
- Verbal harassment: Slurs, harsh comments and offensive jokes
- Sexual harassment: Unwanted sexual advances
- Religious discrimination: Refusal to accommodate or tolerate one’s religious beliefs
- Silent treatment: Ignored and left out of social gatherings
- Unfair punishments: Excessive warnings and penalties that do not apply to other employees
- Unfair performance evaluations: Harsh performance evaluations for mistakes other employees are not criticized for
- Unequal opportunities: Having less career and training opportunities as your coworkers
- Unequal wages: Lower salary or having fewer paid working hours
- Retaliation: Punished for reporting unlawful practices to stop you from doing it again
Typically, employees who report workplace discrimination do so to their company’s HR or their manager. However, if reporting the case internally fails, they may instead file formal complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Getting legal guidance
Discrimination in the workplace is not always easy to notice and it is difficult to report cases without proof. Similarly, it can be difficult to confirm whether or not someone is harassing you if you do not know the telltale signs.
Many people consult legal professionals familiar with employment laws to help them understand when they are being treated unfairly at the workplace. Navigating complex laws and planning what to do in light of discrimination is easier with guidance from an attorney.