When hearing terms like racism, sexism, or xenophobia, people often picture someone yelling racial slurs or harassing a person. While these actions definitely still happen in present-day society, there are also less direct ways discrimination occurs according to an employment litigation lawyer at Eric Siegel Law. This is especially the case in workplaces where employees are discriminated against daily. We’ll look at five ways discrimination manifests in the workplace besides factors like sexual harassment.
- Not Being Hired
Before someone becomes an employee, they can be discriminated against. Unfortunately, the reality is that many minorities will modify the name on their resume so that they sound less “foreign.” Furthermore, men are generally hired over women in a lot of positions, especially high-level ranking positions.
- Never Receiving a Promotion or Raise
Especially if you’re a full-time worker, you’ll probably have regular performance reviews. Many jobs have these reviews every three to six months, and they are used as a way to gauge an employee’s performance. They’re also useful tools for determining what employees should receive pay raises or promotions. If you find yourself constantly going above and beyond but receiving nothing for your efforts, you might be being discriminated against.
- Not Receiving Enough Hours
Some employees are on a salary, but many employees are paid hourly. Of course, hourly positions can always vary week-to-week. Still, if you find yourself receiving much fewer hours than employees in similar positions (and who have been working around the same time as you), then this is a clear sign you’re facing discrimination. Additionally, discrimination can also manifest as you receiving unfavorable hours.
- You’re Not Paid Well As Other Workers
Not every job necessarily has to pay all of their workers the same, especially if their employees are contract workers on a 1099. While some jobs base an employee’s initial starting pay on factors like skills and experience, generally, starting employees are expected to receive the same pay, especially for an entry-level position. If a new employee is making more than you while you’ve been with a company for a long period, then this is often a clear sign of discrimination.
- You’re Made To Do Unfavorable Work
Even your dream job can sometimes have unfavorable work that needs to get done. Work like filing papers, dealing with a problematic client, cleaning bathrooms, etc., can all be examples, and sometimes these jobs may even fall outside your regular work duties. Sometimes, you can’t avoid work like this, and usually, a manager isn’t assigning you such work out of hostility. However, if you find yourself constantly doing unfavorable work—especially outside your regular job duties—while other employees are never tasked with these roles, there’s probably something bigger at play.
Proving workplace discrimination can sometimes be tricky, especially when there’s no clear evidence it’s happening. However, help is available!