Age discrimination might sneak up gradually on employees in Ohio. For this reason, AARP has published information about ageism in the workplace to help people recognize the warning signs. The organization advocates for older people, and one of its senior attorneys recommends that people document changes in treatment at work as soon as they notice them because they might need the information to defend themselves from discrimination if it emerges.
At large companies with many employees, age discrimination might become apparent if layoffs and firings affect older workers more than younger workers. This form of discrimination is currently the subject of a lawsuit against IBM. Three former employees allege that the company targeted older employees for dismissal and would not consider them for open positions.
New and unappealing work assignments represent another tactic that employers use to force people to resign. Companies might try to avoid overt discrimination by giving older workers unpleasant jobs. Bad performance reviews, especially if they suddenly emerge after years of satisfactory reviews, are another way that companies try to inspire older workers to quit. A lack of raises or bonuses for older workers could be discrimination as well, particularly if younger workers are getting paid more.
Employers generally try to hide their discriminatory practices. A person who believes that age, sex, religion, disability or race caused mistreatment or wrongful termination could ask an attorney how to respond. An attorney could look at the evidence and offer an opinion about how strongly it might support a claim of workplace discrimination. To defend a person, an attorney might approach an employer directly with the evidence and request a financial settlement. In some cases, a formal complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or a lawsuit might provide a means of holding an employer accountable for illegal conduct.