A diverse workforce in Michigan does not necessarily guarantee that discrimination will not occur. A survey of employees by Glassdoor conducted in 2019 revealed that three-quarters of employees considered themselves to be part of diverse workforces. Three-fifths of respondents, however, reported that they had been subject to age, gender, race or LGBTQ discrimination or had seen it happen to others.
The survey found that ageism was the most prevalent form of discrimination according to 45% of respondents. Race and gender discrimination combined had been detected by 42% of workers, and 33% of employees said that they had seen or been the target of LGBTQ discrimination.
The perception of discrimination by survey respondents appeared to differ by age. People under the age of 55 acknowledged the presence of the four major types of workplace discrimination much more often than workers over 55. Discrimination was not a problem just for women and minorities; men reported seeing or experiencing discrimination more than other groups.
The Economic Research Team at Glassdoor analyzed its job listings and noted that companies had increased recruiting efforts since 2018 for positions related to promoting diversity and controlling discrimination. The researchers suggested that companies needed to take further action to curtail workplace discrimination due to the persistence of negative behaviors motivated by prejudice.
The power imbalance between workers and owners or managers can make addressing workplace discrimination issues difficult for an individual. A person might have legal rights ignored after reporting a problem or even experience retaliation like job loss or demotion. A person may choose to talk to an attorney to find out if what is happening at work violates employment law. If it does, an attorney may recommend filing a formal complaint to pursue a settlement.