Tips to Identify Age Discrimination In The Workplace

As the average age of the US population increases, so does the age of the US workforce. However, there are times when employers discriminated against employees, whether knowingly or unknowingly, in the workplace due to their age. At the Azadian Law Group, PC, we want to help you understand if you have been the victim of workplace age discrimination. Our Los Angeles discrimination lawyers offer some signs to look out for. If you have been the victim of the following, you may need to contact an attorney.

Age discrimination is real, and it is illegal

Age discrimination is hard to detect in the workplace. It is rare that an employer will come out and say that they are firing a person because they are “too old” to do the job. Instead, they will look for benign reasons to fire someone or force them to quit. We do not have complete numbers of how many workers age discrimination affects. According to AARP, most cases of workplace age discrimination are not reported, and nearly two-thirds of workers over the age of 45 have seen or experienced workplace age discrimination.

Workers have two tools to fight age discrimination:

• the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• the California Fair Housing and Employment Act (FEHA)

Identifying age discrimination

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says that age discrimination involves “treating an applicant or employee less favorably because of his or her age.” Some signs that you may have been, or are about to be, the victim of age discrimination include:

1. Older workers are being fired or offered buyouts while younger workers are being hired. This is often described as a “cultural shift” in the company or department. In reality, they are likely trying to get younger, lower-cost workers in place.
2. You are reassigned to unwanted duties. A sudden reassignment in your duties to a job that is unpleasant or not in your skillset could be a tactic designed to get you to retire.
3. Comments are being made about your age. Questions or comments about “when you are finally going to retire” may seem innocent or in jest, but they could have a more sinister meaning.
4. You are no longer getting raises. If you stop getting raises despite your performance remaining the same or improving, this could be age discrimination.
5. Your performance reviews are not good. Often used hand-in-hand with getting no raise, it is a common tactic of supervisors to lower an older worker’s performance review to justify firing them.

We are ready to help you with your case

If you suspect you have been the victim of age discrimination in the workplace, you should seek legal assistance as soon as possible. This is a serious issue, and you may be entitled to compensation. At the Azadian Law Group, PC, we will investigate what happened in your case and work to obtain:

• Recovery of lost wages and benefits
• Reinstatement to your job if desired
• Court costs and legal fees
• Pain and suffering damages
• Possible punitive damages

When you need an age discrimination lawyer, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 213-229-9031.