Life changes. As people grow and develop new understandings about themselves and others, they may make decisions about their lives that other people seem to somehow resent — and that can lead to discrimination in the workplace.
For instance, maybe you were part of a certain religion when you took your job, and so were most of your co-workers. However, you just converted to another religion. Will this change bring about discrimination as your coworkers struggle to deal with the change? It could.
Or perhaps you didn’t bring up your sexual orientation when you applied for the job. Now you’re ready to be a bit more open about your orientation, though, even though it’s different than what your coworkers assumed. Will their reactions be positive — or will you be subjected to some kind of harassment or discrimination as a result?
Workplace discrimination is illegal for numerous reasons
Certainly, major life changes like this can lead to discrimination. The thing to remember is that workplace discrimination is not just frustrating, but illegal. Examples of types of discrimination that break the law and violate your rights include discriminatory behavior based on your:
- Age
- Disability
- Parental status
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy
- National origin
- Race
- Color
Some of these things are never going to change, but many of them can. That doesn’t change their application at all. If your boss finds out about your new religion or sexual orientation and promptly fires you, for instance, that’s an example of illegal discrimination — especially since they didn’t have a problem with you as an employee before the change.
If you’ve been targeted for discrimination in the workplace after you’ve made a lifestyle change or your co-workers and boss learn something unexpected about your personal life, you can fight back. An experienced attorney can help.
