Discrimination involves inappropriately considering protected characteristics for employment decisions. Companies should look at experience and educational history, rather than personal characteristics, when making employment decisions.
When employers factor protected characteristics into major employment decisions, workers negatively affected by those decisions may have grounds to assert that they experienced discrimination. Discrimination based on sex, race, religion, medical condition and national origin is illegal. Additionally, employers should not engage in age discrimination when hiring, terminating or promoting employees.
Companies shouldn’t mistreat older workers
Both federal and Michigan discrimination laws specifically protect mature employees. When a worker reaches 40 years of age, they should not have to worry about their age impacting their employment opportunities.
If anything, their additional years of experience should help them stand out from younger, less-qualified applicants. Mistreating older workers undermines morale, wastes institutional knowledge and mentorship, increases turnover costs and damages a company’s reputation, all of which can hurt productivity and long-term success.
What behaviors could lead to credible claims of age discrimination?
Employers should not prioritize younger applicants for vacant positions or promotions. They also should not specifically target older workers when intentionally reducing their workforce.
Age discrimination can also manifest in the form of the company ignoring abusive conduct. If coworkers create a hostile work environment by targeting and mistreating older employees, the business has an obligation to intervene for the protection of the mistreated professional.
When professionals have experienced significant career setbacks related to age discrimination, they may have grounds for a lawsuit. Reviewing what has happened in one’s workplace with an employment attorney could help frustrated, experienced professionals fight back against age discrimination.