Forms of Discrimination Your Business Might Be Overlooking

Your business takes discrimination seriously. You don’t want to risk the legal penalties and reputational damage that come with breaking employment law. More seriously, you don’t want your valued employees to feel unsafe while they work.

But did you know there are some types of discrimination your business might be overlooking? They aren’t immediately obvious, and your organization may be missing them. Let’s look at these forms and how you can spot them so you can take action before problems arise.

Age Discrimination

Age bias doesn’t just affect older workers. Younger employees face it too. A hiring manager might assume a 22-year-old lacks the maturity for a leadership role, or that a 58-year-old won’t adapt to new technology. Both assumptions are unfair and illegal.

Pay attention to language in job postings. Terms like “digital native” or “recent graduate” can signal age bias. Similarly, describing your ideal candidate as “energetic” or “seasoned” may unintentionally exclude qualified applicants based on age.

Microaggressions

These subtle, everyday slights can create a toxic work environment. Someone might compliment a Black colleague on being “so well-spoken,” implying they expected otherwise. Another employee might ask an Asian-American coworker, “Where are you really from?”

And while there have been strides toward gender equality in many workplaces, women still report hostile environments. They’re labeled “aggressive” for behaviors that earn men praise for being “assertive,” or “emotional” instead of “passionate,” and are often passed up for promotions or even written up for speaking out. These small moments add up, making employees feel unwelcome and undervalued.

Disability Discrimination

You’ve installed wheelchair ramps and braille signage, but is that enough? Many people with physical disabilities have clear indicators that show they need specific accommodations, but people with mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, and invisible disabilities deserve accommodation too. An employee with anxiety might need flexible start times. Someone with chronic pain could benefit from a standing desk or modified duties.

Managers sometimes overlook these needs because they aren’t visible. They might question whether accommodations are “really necessary” or worry about fairness to other team members. This mindset creates barriers for employees who need support to do their best work.

Pregnancy and Caregiver Discrimination

Pregnant employees and new parents face unique challenges. A supervisor might pass over a pregnant woman for a promotion, assuming she’ll be “too distracted” after the baby arrives. Parents who leave on time to pick up their kids might be seen as less committed than colleagues who stay late. Employees caring for other family members, like elderly parents or sick partners, also experience similar career limitations and biases.

Discrimination happens when companies treat these situations as personal inconveniences rather than legitimate needs and penalize employees for fulfilling family responsibilities.

Religious Discrimination

This goes beyond refusing time off for major holidays. Employees may need prayer breaks, dietary accommodations, or dress code exemptions. A Muslim woman wearing a hijab or a Sikh man wearing a turban shouldn’t face questions about their “professionalism.”

Some managers worry that accommodating religious practices will disrupt workflow. In reality, most requests are reasonable and easy to implement. The real disruption comes from making employees choose between their faith and their job.

What You Can Do

These commonly overlooked forms of discrimination slip through the cracks because they’re subtle or misunderstood. Don’t let that happen at your company. Get to know these patterns and how your business can spot and prevent them. Train your managers to recognize bias in themselves and others. Create clear policies for reporting concerns. Most of all, listen when employees speak up about their experiences.

Image Credentials: Dexon Dee, 1454084160

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