You may believe that you’re being discriminated against at work, but the company may attempt to cover this up. Your boss may tell you that you’re imagining it or that nothing is really happening. But it’s not all just gaslighting – they may take actual steps to hide the discrimination.
It’s important for employees to know how this happens. No one deserves to be discriminated against based on a protected class, such as race, religion or gender. Knowing how your company is hiding it can help you to identify when this is happening so that you can take the proper steps.
Here’s what you should be watching for:
Downsizing
One potential tactic could be downsizing, which is when a company claims that it has to lay off a percentage of its workforce just to be viable. This does often happen and it is a financial decision. But if all of the workers who lose their jobs during the downsizing belong to the same protected class, that could mean that the company is actually discriminating and trying to remove those workers.
Eliminating a position
In some cases, the company will claim that they need to eliminate a person’s position entirely. If they actually do this, that is a valid reason to let someone go. But there are cases when the company will eliminate a position held by an older worker who has a higher salary, for instance, and then simply hire a younger worker for less money – an example of age discrimination. They may give the job a new title so that it’s not obvious that it’s really the same position.
What are your options?
If you’ve been discriminated against and it has hampered your career and caused financial issues for you, then it’s very important for you to know about all the legal steps you can take.