Federal laws shield employees from discrimination based on their protected class. People over the age of 40 are included in this group and receive the same legal protections. However, this has not prevented the occurrence of age discrimination.
According to a 2017 study conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 61% of people over the age of 45 dealt with some form of age discrimination in the workplace. Identifying age discrimination early can help you deal with the situation.
Recognizing common indicators of age discrimination
Before a business terminates an employee, there are usually signs that indicate discrimination is happening. Some common age discrimination signs include:
- Onboarding of young employees: It could be a bad sign if you noticed recently that many of the older employees are being let go. This is especially true if the company recently brought on numerous younger employees to replace the older workers.
- Being assigned menial tasks: If your boss is giving you projects that do not align with your skill level, it should raise some concerns. Your manager may be looking to transition you out of the company by assigning you tedious tasks.
- Missing out on pay increases: When your performance is top-notch, you expect to receive a raise after your yearly review. However, age discrimination could be taking place if your boss does not address your pay when conducting a performance evaluation.
- Receiving poor evaluations: Previously, you may have received outstanding performance evaluations. But, recently, your manager gave you low scores in every category. This occurrence can be a sign of age discrimination if you are over the age of 40.
If your company is discriminating against you because of your age, obtaining evidence could be beneficial if you intend to take legal action.
Reaching out to an attorney can also help you in this situation. An experienced lawyer can identify if an age discrimination claim is worth pursuing.
