Despite being illegal, age discrimination is still a problem that affects millions of employees across the United States. Unfortunately, many victims of this form of discrimination don’t understand how it occurs, how to protect their rights or what to do if they get discriminated against.
How does age discrimination occur?
One of the ways it can happen is when an employer refuses to hire someone because of their age, or when an employee is passed over for a promotion because they are considered too old. Age discrimination can also occur when an employer sets different employment standards for employees of different ages, or when an employee is treated differently because of their age.
Lastly, age discrimination can happen when an employee gets fired because of their age. Usually, this happens when an employer believes that the employee is not as productive as they used to be, or when the employer wants to make room for younger employees.
How should you approach an age discrimination situation?
If you think that you have been a victim of age discrimination, the first thing you should do is talk to your HR department. If your company doesn’t have an HR department, then you should speak to your supervisor or the person in charge of hiring and firing. It’s important that you file a complaint as soon as possible so that your employer can’t say that they didn’t know about the discrimination.
Once you’ve filed a complaint, the next step is to gather evidence. This can include things like performance reviews, emails, text messages or witness statements. Once you have this evidence, you can contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and file a claim.
The EEOC will investigate your claim and, if they find that discrimination has occurred, they will take action against your employer under employment law. This can include ordering them to pay you damages, changing their employment practices or giving you a promotion.
If you’ve been the victim of age discrimination, it’s important to know that you have rights and there are things you can do to protect yourself. Don’t wait to take action – the sooner you do, the better.