When you are hired to work at the beginning of your career, chances are that you start at the bottom of the ladder. You start learning everything that you can about your job and over time, you climb the ladder and perhaps eventually move on to other, more challenging positions. For many years after you start working, you are young and no do not experience anything that gives you pause to think.
At some point, you will reach an age at which you are looked upon differently and younger people are being hired to fill positions of responsibility and you are not being considered for those positions even though you have knowledge and experience. You feel as though you are being passed over more and more often.
Age discrimination in the workplace
In the United States, businesses are showing more and more signs of age discrimination nowadays. At around 40 years old, an employee is often treated or regarded differently than they were treated or regarded previously. If the person is pursuing a new position in another company, it seems as though it is more and more difficult to find a new, appropriate position quickly. Some people actually look for a position for years and then finally walk away and pursue something else or retrain.
There are many different ways in which someone can express age discrimination in the workplace. It can be in remarks or body language, the person can be passed over for a younger employee, or it can be any other number of actions that are taken against the individual.
How age discrimination is expressed
Age discrimination can come up in different ways. If an employee had a solid performance record for all of the years that they worked for the company and all of a sudden, negativity is being expressed against that employee at the same time that they reach a certain age, there is a good chance that it is age discrimination.
In a case of age discrimination, there is a good chance the person will eventually lose the battle. Even if they fight what is going on and make a tremendous effort to hold onto their position and to eliminate the uncomfortable atmosphere at work, it may never be the same again and they may end up being terminated anyway.
Valuable advice from an attorney who specializes in workplace age discrimination
Age discrimination has been around for a very long time but we do not always hear about it. If you have been on the receiving end of age discrimination in the workplace, the legal support of a Santa Barbara age discrimination attorney may be invaluable to your case. You are protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act if you are 40 years old or older.
The attorney can guide you to make the most effective decisions so that you get what you are entitled to and your rights are protected at the same time. Age discrimination can be expressed in many different forms and they all have the power to interfere with your ability to do your job properly. No matter what the motivation behind the age discrimination, none of it is acceptable.