Five Signs That You May be a Victim of Age Discrimination

The law says that you have a right to compete in the workforce without regard to your age. However, as you can probably guess, employers discriminate all the time. The question is how to recognize the subtle signs of discrimination. At Five Points Law Group, we can help you review the situation from an objective point of view and help you get to the bottom of things. You deserve to be treated equally, regardless of your age. With this in mind, here are just five quick signs that you may be a victim of age discrimination.

Sea of Youth

This is often more a concern in younger companies, like tech startups and businesses that cater to a younger target demographic. Of course, it can happen anywhere. What we are talking about is a tendency to hire younger workers. If you begin to notice that almost all employees are young or very young, or if you begin to notice that older workers who retire are all being replaced with very young workers, then you may have a problem. Keep in mind, this is not an absolute. If older workers with experience are applying for jobs and being passed over in favor of less experienced younger workers, there may be a problem.

Inappropriate Questions

If you are interviewing for a job and the interviewer is asking questions that sort of require you to disclose your age, then you may be facing age discrimination. For instance, you may hear questions like “well, you will be old enough to appreciate this” or “do you have grandchildren near here?” While these may not necessarily be anything serious, if used to gauge your age or ascertain your suitability, they are inappropriate.

Suggesting You do Not Have Enough Time Left

As morbid as it may sound, older workers with years of experience and expertise in their fields may not want to retire. Frankly, the law does not say you have to quit doing what you love. Some employers may worry that an older worker has too little time left before retirement to be useful to the company. Such questions or insinuations are strong warning signs of age discrimination.

Sudden Changes in Duties or Responsibilities

If you have worked for a business for years and enjoyed a lot of responsibility, you may find it unsettling when, upon turning 50 or 60, you are asked if you need to take a break or whether you can “handle” the workload. While subtle, you may even notice that people begin to treat you as though you are mentally or physically unfit, even without any cause. This can be another warning sign.

Unusual New Discipline

If, after years without any problems, you are facing constant pressure and being disciplined or reprimanded for seemingly arbitrary things all of the sudden, this could signal that superiors are trying to build a case to fire you under some other pretext.

Get Help Now

Do not wait until you have been terminated; call an experienced attorney today. You may have options for fighting to keep your job. If you have already been terminated, downsized, demoted, or suffered any type of adverse employment actions and you believe your age is involved, contact Five Points Law Group today.

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