Experiencing discrimination at work can have a far-reaching impact on your career. Recognizing signs of mistreatment might leave you feeling uncertain of where to turn for help.
Knowing the many ways that discrimination can harm your work experience may give you the incentive to take action. Reporting the mistreatment can hopefully introduce solutions to prevent ongoing problems.
Lost productivity
Discrimination can take on many forms, some more subtle than others. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, discrimination includes harassment, retaliation, threats and invasive questions unrelated to your job. Such mistreatment may occur as the result of your race, gender or sexual orientation among other reasons.
Feelings of anxiety, fear, guilt and anger may prevent you from doing your job productively. You might worry about your future, have concerns about job security and even experience feelings of fear about your safety and well-being. Constantly having to look over your shoulder could distract you and jeopardize your performance reviews. In serious cases, you might even need to take time off of work to deal with the repercussions of discrimination.
Lost opportunity
Discriminatory behavior can also prevent you from enjoying all of the opportunities that your coworkers experience. For example, your boss may bypass you for a promotion that you have earned and award it to an underqualified worker. You might not have access to the resources you need to perform your job. If mistreatment results in you leaving your job, you could struggle to find another job, especially if your former employer says things that damage your reputation.
Workplace discrimination is a serious problem with legal repercussions. You deserve fair treatment. Carefully documenting your situation can help you show how your experience has impacted your job and your career.
