What are signs that I may be being discriminated against at work?

What Are Signs That I May Be Being Discriminated Against At Work?

No one likes to work with disagreeable co-workers or for a boss who mistreats them. It can be worse if the mistreatment is caused by age, sex, race, or another type of discrimination prohibited under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) or federal anti-discrimination laws. But how do you know if you are being discriminated against or being treated poorly because someone just doesn’t like you?

Signs You May Be the Victim of Employment Discrimination

It can be difficult to determine whether you are being discriminated against because your co-worker or employer who engages in these behaviors may not make his intentions clear and may say something different than what his actions show. However, here are some clues that you are being illegally discriminated against:

• Inappropriate joking. Many of us know co-workers or supervisors who make inappropriate jokes. However, if these jokes are gender-based or include derogatory statements about a co-worker’s or your race, national origin, transgender status, or other protected class, it could be illegal under the FEHA and a warning sign of discrimination.
• Minimal diversity. If an employer only hires workers of a certain gender, race, national origin, or sexual orientation or excludes one or more of these classes of protected people, it may be a sign of discrimination.
• Role ruts. Role ruts can take many forms. In an office setting, the secretaries can be all women, and the partners may be only men. Women could be deprived of certain job positions for reasons such as weight lifting—when the job does not require lifting or the weight requirement is one that women can easily meet.
• Promotion pass–over. If you are a member of a protected class and are passed over for promotions when you are more qualified than the people being promoted, this is another sign of illegal discrimination that could be costing you substantial lost wages and career opportunities.
• Poor reviews. If you are receiving poor job reviews when you know you are doing a good job, this could be a sign of discrimination, especially if you know other workers getting good performance reviews who do not work as hard as you.
• Questionable interview questions. If you are asked a suspicious question—like about your plans to start a family if you are a woman—this is not only illegal, but also a signal that your prospective employer discriminates against workers.

The warning signs of discrimination can be subtle, and the advice of an experienced employment discrimination attorney can be beneficial if you suspect you were discriminated against at work. Call our firm today at 949-528-4220 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.