Let’s make this clear: Every employee deserves a fair and discrimination-free workplace regardless of gender, age, race, religion or disability. In fact, both federal and Michigan laws prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace.
Unfortunately, age discrimination is still a major problem in most workplaces. At the very basic, age discrimination involves the act of treating an employee differently, usually less favorably, at work due to their age. If you believe your employee, or potential employer, is discriminating against you based on your age, you need to take action against them.
To successfully litigate age discrimination, you need evidence. And for this, you need to know the signs of age discrimination in the workplace. Here are some of these signs:
You hear ageist remarks about yourself
Comments like “you are old school” or “you are over the hill” might not seem serious. However, if your boss is routinely making ageist remarks, then chances are they trying to degrade and humiliate you. This is especially true if your employer cites any of these as the basis for denying your opportunities for advancement.
Someone refuses to hire you because of your age
While employers have the right to hire who they want, they simply cannot pass you up for employment because you are older and are likely to demand higher pay. If they use your age as the basis for denying you the job, then you might be able to pursue them for age discrimination.
As long as you can do your job, your employer or potential employer should never treat you differently based on your age. If they do, you need to fight for your rights.