Discrimination In The Workplace

Anyone can become a victim of discrimination in the workplace. Reports and research have stated that discrimination in the workplace still exists in the US. There can be various kinds of discrimination that may be related to one's position, gender, salary, race, and other aspects. There is no such definitive list of discrimination. Although, discrimination is considered illegal, it is practiced under a veil of hypocrisy in some sectors, especially workplaces/offices in the US.

Discrimination has now become a fabric in our society and the best way to avoid it especially in the workplace is to make every individual accountable and responsible for his/her action. There are various forms of discrimination. Racial and sexual discrimination are the most prevalent.

In racial discrimination one is subjected to discrimination against promotion, job role, better opportunities, and other forms of discrimination due to his or her race. Persons are subjected to racial comments and other abusive language.

There are two forms of racial discrimination, namely direct and indirect. In the former, persons are exploited directly while in indirect discrimination, the office or the institution makes norms or laws unfavorable to them. If there are Jews working in an office in which they are in a minority, in indirect discrimination the authorities may ban wearing headgear which Jews need to wear during some periods of the year.

In sexual discrimination, discriminated persons may undergo physical or mental tortures by colleagues or seniors in the workplace. Under sexual abuses, lewd remarks are passed, inappropriate rubbing or touching is done, forceful intimidation for some pleasure is shown and other kinds of sexual harassments are done constantly.

According to law, there are other forms of discrimination too, under which you can become a victim, regardless of your age, sex, and color. They are job-related discrimination, experience-related discrimination, age-related discrimination, disability-related discrimination and many more.

Now that you have come to know that job or workplace discrimination persists, if you become a victim of such discrimination, how would you tackle the situation?

Here are few tips to overcome workplace discrimination:

You should report the discrimination immediately. If it is sexual, you must not wait for the worst to happen. If you take things lying down, discriminators will get encouraged to commit more such acts. You can bring it to the notice of the authorities and if they don't take any action, you can take the help of the law. You must make yourself aware about the laws and rights about the various forms of discrimination, so that you can yourself protect your dignity and self-respect.

If you know your specific rights about such issues, you can approach the court for justice in your case of discrimination. There are various acts that have been passed for prevention or redressal of discrimination in the workplace. If the matter is not settled even after warnings or by the concerned unions or bodies, it is you who must take the action to fight for your rights.