Although many seem to assume that discrimination is a thing of the past: it’s still a real problem that many people of protected statuses have to grapple with every day. If you want to build a better business and avoid lawsuits: it’s vital that you familiarize yourself with the most common forms of employment discrimination people face today.
Race Discrimination
Race discrimination is one of the most common forms of employment discrimination. It is also the most obvious form of discrimination in the average workspace and has been a hot topic discussed in the public eye for the last couple of years. People don’t like the idea of working for a company that doesn’t respect human rights, and one of the largest issues is race.
When hiring, you must pick future employees based on their abilities and skills and not on the color of their skin. So if your entire workplace is full of people of one race: it’s a symptom of a major problem.
Disability Discrimination
Disability discrimination, another of the most common forms of employment discrimination, is harder to see if you don’t know the signs. This is deeper than physical disabilities, which need to be hired on the same level but often aren’t, many workplaces don’t work with mental disabilities in mind.
This means employees and applicants who are neurodivergent and have autism, ADHD, or a myriad of other protected illnesses often can’t perform in a workplace because it’s not built to help with what they need.
Gender Discrimination
Another of the most common forms of employment discrimination is gender discrimination. Gender discrimination has been a hot topic in the last ten years for plenty of obvious reasons. There’s still a pay gap in most industries, but there’s also a massive hiring gap.
This intersectional issue also needs to tie in a discussion on race since white men are the highest-paid and most commonly hired workers, while black women are often the lowest paid in America. If you notice this issue, it’s important that you quickly do everything you can to rectify it.
Pregnancy Discrimination
Although not often talked about, pregnancy discrimination is another of the most common forms of employment discrimination. Pregnant people often face discrimination in all parts of the workplace. This means they’re less likely to get hired because companies decide they don’t want an employee who will miss days.
They also don’t get as many benefits or rights as you’d expect for someone who’s going through something that takes a major toll on their body and attention span.
Age Discrimination
Last on the list of the most common forms of employment discrimination is age discrimination. This is a hidden killer that ensures the older you get, the less hirable you are.
On the other hand, this same discrimination means that younger workers, even if they’ve been in the field for years, are less likely to get promoted, with companies opting to encourage workers who are older and seem like they have more experience even if they don’t. This is something that can quickly lead to employment discrimination cases.
Everyone Deserves An Equal Chance to Work
Regardless of what field you’re in, what type of work you do, or how long you’ve been in it: everyone deserves the chance to work and get paid fairly. If a workplace doesn’t offer this, it’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when it’s going to face a lawsuit for participating in some type of the most common forms of employment discrimination.