Seven Signs of Age Discrimination at Work

The Florida Commission on Human Relations reports that the number of age discrimination cases in Florida is on the rise. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) heard 24,600 cases in 2008 alone.

Ageist policies usually have an unfair impact on older workers, and are prohibited by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Seven symptoms of ageism in a workplace include:

• Denial of training opportunities: Equal access to career-enhancing educational opportunities, such as conferences, seminars, online training classes and real-time tutorials, is essential. Training allows you to get better performance reviews, wage increases and commensurate bonuses.
• Negative evaluations: Exemplary work records are marred by incomplete performance reviews. Supervisors seeking to justify a demotion, salary reduction, suspension or termination may place you on a performance improvement plan with little indication of fair consideration.
• Failure to promote: You should take note if a less-qualified younger person is hired to fill a requisition for which you applied.
• Changing culture: You may notice that the people around you are changing. Recent graduates and young professionals are hired while older workers are fired or forced into early retirement.
• Overseers: Companies sometimes hire efficiency experts to streamline processes and implement layoffs of incumbent workers.
• Training your replacement: Be suspicious if your assignments are transitioned over to the younger worker trained for your position, leaving you with only the job title and none of the responsibility.
• Outright discrimination: Comments referencing older workers as part of the “grey problem” present a strong case for discrimination.

If you have encountered any of the above in your workplace, you would be well advised to discuss your case with a knowledgeable age discrimination lawyer in Florida.