When our readers in Missouri hear the term “discrimination” in relation to the workplace, they may only think about someone getting fired for a discriminatory reason. However, discrimination can manifest in ways that may not be so obvious at first. Age discrimination is one type of discrimination that can oftentimes be quite subtle.
Age discrimination basics
Are you facing age discrimination in the workplace? Sometimes, answering that question isn’t so easy.
You may not have been fired because of age discrimination, but you could lose out in other ways in the workplace because of it. For example, decisions on promotions can often include thinking about a worker’s age as a variable. Why? Well, for the most part, it is common for older workers to earn higher wages, due to more experience or education, for instance, or simply as a matter of time working for the employer in question. It may be cheaper for the employer to promote a younger worker.
Or, even preparing workers for promotion is an area where age discrimination might occur. Selection of certain employees for training programs, for example, is an area where an employer might consider the age of the eligible employees as a factor.
As our readers can probably tell, sometimes there is quite a bit of subjectivity to the question of age discrimination in the workplace. And it is not always easy to prove. But, the reality is that age discrimination does occur in workplaces in Missouri. If you believe you have been the victim of age discrimination in any phase of employment, you will want to be sure to get a thorough evaluation of your unique situation to see if you might have a valid employment law claim.