Age discrimination, unfortunately, is a common occurrence as, for various reasons, more and more older people put off retirement and work for longer years in their respective industries. While the employment laws in the United States are clear about prohibiting age discrimination, employees who are 40 or older continue to report experiencing discrimination, ill-treatment, or job loss. If you have a similar experience and need legal advice, it is a good idea to search online for “age discrimination lawyer Los Angeles.” You can then find a competent lawyer in your area.
What is workplace age discrimination?
Workplace age discrimination is a practice of discriminating against someone because they are 40 years old or older. Discrimination can take many forms, but it is demoralizing for qualified people who can and want to work. It involves forcing people to give up on their careers and dreams just because they have advanced in years.
What are some examples of age discrimination in the workplace?
If you have experienced any of the following discriminatory behaviors in your workplace, it may be time to search online for “age discrimination lawyer Los Angeles” and get legal representation:
• Your employer drops heavy hints that you ought to retire from your job.
• Your co-workers harass you and create a hostile work environment with their derogatory, malicious, and offensive remarks about your advanced age.
• Your employer refuses to give you a deserved work project, promotion, or salary raise, citing your advanced age.
• Your employer mentions your age as the reason for excluding you from meetings, training programs, and work outings.
• Your employer uses your age as an excuse for demoting you from your current position.
• Your employer reduces benefits for people in your age group.
• Your employer fires you and other employees in your age range without giving you a valid performance-related reason and without offering you compensation.
• You cannot send job applications because employers specifically mention in their job advertisements that they will only hire people with two or three years of work experience.
• You go for a job interview, and the recruiter informs you that you are over-experienced for the job.
What are your legal options if you are facing age discrimination in the workplace?
The lawyer you find after searching for “age discrimination lawyer Los Angeles” will let you know, that these laws can protect you in the face of age discrimination in the workplace:
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulates this federal law. It applies to all employers in the United States who have 20 employees or more. The ADEA forbids these employers from discriminating against their older employees. They cannot specify in job advertisements that they only want to hire people from a specific age group, and they cannot ask applicants their age in job applications and during job interviews. They cannot discriminate against older people in various employment aspects such as hiring, work conditions, compensation, promotion, and discharge.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
The FEHA is a California state law and applies to all employers in the state. As per the FEHA, employers with five or more employees cannot discriminate against any of them because of their advanced age. The law also prohibits them from retaliating against them for asserting their legal rights in the workplace. Even employees with five or fewer employees cannot subject them to harassment. It does not matter if the employees work full-time, part-time, temporary, contract, freelance, as volunteers, or as paid or unpaid interns.
Additionally, the FEHA prevents employers from discriminating against older job applicants. Even if someone is 40 or older, they must receive due consideration based on merit. The FEHA does not apply to employees or job seekers under 40 years old.
It is essential to mention that all unfair treatment is not necessarily age-related discrimination. The employer can legally discriminate against you if your age is likely to affect the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of business operations. When you search for “age discrimination lawyer Los Angeles,” have the lawyer review your case and determine if current discrimination laws apply to you. They can inform you of your legal choices and the possible compensation you could win.