While the issue of workplace discrimination has been garnering more attention in Michigan, incidents and behaviors continue to negatively impact workers. Many of these are obvious violations of employment law. The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission received nearly 72,700 complaints about workplace discrimination in 2019. This number does not factor in complaints to local agencies.
While some of the reported cases featured blatant prejudice, certain examples of discriminatory behaviors were less clear. For instance, American workers who need to care for a loved one at home can face caregiver discrimination. The U.S. does not have a federally mandated minimum amount of time for which workers can receive paid leave. If a worker needs time off or an adjusted schedule, employers can penalize them for it financially by denying promotions or even dismissing them.
Women who were expecting once faced pregnancy discrimination that could not be challenged. This is no longer supposed to be an issue. Still, employers might behave negatively toward a pregnant employee. A woman could lose income and face a stagnant career path just for getting pregnant. Regardless of a woman’s job or financial situation, this can be a problem.
Finally, age discrimination continues to occur even with strong employment statistics. Two-thirds of people 45 and older say they have witnessed or experienced age discrimination. The trend is that it is getting worse. As older people continue to work, they are more vulnerable to these employment law violations.
Workers who have faced on-the-job discrimination for any reason should be cognizant of how to recognize mistreatment. With legal assistance, a victim could stop the behavior and recover compensation for all they have lost personally and financially.