Are you Experiencing Employment Discrimination?

Federal and State laws require employers to provide their employees with a safe workplace that is free from harassment and unfair treatment. However, discrimination in the workplace occurs in many situations, but it isn’t always overt. Subtle discriminatory actions are common and it can be hard to prove. Employees often sense something is not right but don’t want to point it out. The environment already feels hostile and you don’t want to make enemies at work. But, are you being paranoid or are you rightly suspicious? Here are the 5 telltale signs:

1. Inappropriate Conversational Tone and Joking

When a supervisor or colleague uses a demeaning tone, it can make your work environment unpleasant. It is discriminatory to be consistently spoken to in a belittling tone, interrupted or dismissed for no apparent reason. As employees become more comfortable with each other, they may turn to trait-based joking, such as derogatory references towards a worker’s race or gender-based jokes.

1. Lack of Diversity

A culture of discrimination may exist if there is an obvious elimination of one sex or race from the workplace. If all the employees fit the same basic demographic profile, despite a diverse pool of applicants with similar experience, it may be an overt sign of an unfair work environment.

1. Unfair Behaviors

Simply, treating employees differently based on legally protected classifications is discrimination. Some examples are: withholding training from someone with a disability, only allowing younger employees to attend professional development workshops while denying requests from workers over 40 years old, and only scheduling female workers to clean the bathrooms.

1. Promotion Pass-Over

It is discriminatory to for an employer to give promotions based on favoritism and not qualifications. If you have been passed up for promotions numerous times for a less qualified candidate, then a problem may exist.

1. Alienation

It is illegal for your employer to make you feel alienated in your workplace. If you are excluded socially, receive uninspiring assignments, or consistently denied opportunities to excel, it can be a sign of unfair treatment. If you believe your negative workplace experience crosses the line into employment discrimination, you may have a legal cause of action. Bringing forward a claim against an employer can be difficult, if not impossible, without legal assistance. At the Law Office of David Kaplan, we can help aggressively protect your rights under New Jersey law and help you secure your job or the compensation you deserve for being discriminated against. Call the Law Office of David Kaplan today for a free consultation 973-426-0021.