Most of the time, overt employment discrimination is rare. But that doesn’t mean that it’s gone or that it has been entirely eliminated from the modern workplace. In some cases, it just means that it’s more subtle.
Every case is going to be unique, depending on the type of discrimination and the employment situation. Below are two examples of how subtle discrimination could occur to give people an idea of what to look for:
Discrimination in hiring
To start with, say that a woman goes to a group interview to attempt to get a job. She is pregnant and it’s obvious, but she knows she can’t be discriminated against just because of her pregnancy. Even so, while she’s there, she feels like the hiring manager won’t talk to her or make eye contact, and she knows she’s not going to get the job.
Discrimination in duties
Another example could be how an employer uses a specific employee. For instance, perhaps none of the employees want to have the closing shifts on the weekends because it inhibits their social life. While most of the employees are never scheduled for those shifts, the sole African-American employee at the business finds himself constantly scheduled to close.
Discrimination isn’t always obvious. Often, the company makes tries to hide the fact that they’re singling an employee out — but the employee can usually tell that they’re not being treated the same as everyone else and they suspect it has everything to do with their inclusion in a protected class. In a situation like this, that employee needs to know what legal options they have.