If you are 40 years old or older, you may face age discrimination at work. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against older workers. However, sometimes discriminatory practices are not always obvious.
Just because you are not fired because of your age or you do not experience insults daily does not necessarily mean you are free from age discrimination. Here are some subtle ways your employer may be discriminating against you.
1. Reducing your hours
One malicious strategy that some employers use to get rid of older employees is cutting hours. If you struggle to make a living, you may not want to stay at the job. This is one way your place of employment may try to get you to quit.
2. Cutting job duties
Did your employer suddenly assign you to low-level tasks that are below your position? If so, you may be a victim of age discrimination. Cutting your job duties may result in humiliation and disgust. However, instead of quitting, you may be able to file an age discrimination claim.
3. Denying advancement opportunities
Your employer may prevent you from getting a promotion because a supervisor expects you to retire soon. One way for your employer to claim you do not have the necessary qualifications or experience for a promotion is by assigning you to lowly tasks or isolating you.
4. Issuing sudden reprimands
Are your performance reviews suddenly taking a dip? This may be a sign of age discrimination. If you are suddenly experiencing a lot of nitpicking, write-ups and warnings, your employer may be trying to build evidence to get rid of you. Your employer may claim you have poor performance when you really are doing well.
Do any of these situations sound familiar? If you are experiencing these things at work, do not ignore them. Consult with an attorney about the possibility of filing an age discrimination claim.
