Nearly 91% of employees worldwide agree that they have experienced at least some form of workplace discrimination examples that we’ll discuss. Discrimination is poor conduct that displays unjust and prejudicial treatment against an individual/group.
Discrimination – as well known – is usually on the grounds of sex, age, ethnicity, disability, or even gender identity. It is challenging to deal with, but there are ways to ensure your workplace is free of such behavior.
Before we explore how it affects employees in the workplace, let’s look at the examples that qualify for sexual harassment at the workplace.
What is Workplace Discrimination? Its Impact on the Employee (& Employer)
Discrimination is the unfair treatment of an individual or a group that singles them out based on class, group, or other protected categories. There can be race, gender, sex, caste, socio-economic status, or even one’s ethnicity that exposes them to unfair treatment.
One of the most categorical discriminations against an individual includes the act or practice of discriminating against one’s race or gender. Examples of workplace discrimination include incidents where an employee is mistreated due to such protected characteristics.
A protected characteristic is a personal trait that protects individuals from discrimination under the Equality Act of 2010. Thus, no one with these characteristics should be subjected to unfair and demeaning treatment. This act also protects individuals if someone close to them has a protected characteristic.
Discrimination on the grounds of:
- Race
- Age
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Religion or spiritual belief
- Sex
- Disability
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy
When someone is treated unfavorably compared to another person based on one or more of these traits. Less favorable treatment may include:
- Making it more challenging for someone to do their job
- Excluding someone from benefits or opportunities
- Causing someone emotional distress
- Causing financial loss to the individual
Impact of Workplace Discrimination on Employees
As part of the corporate sector, you must know how to navigate the murky waters, especially if it’s your first. Workplace pressure becomes more accessible as you get the hang of it.
The tricky part is understanding the dynamics within your workplace and the various factors that affect your productivity. One such detrimental factor is facing unfair treatment.
This makes it difficult for the employee/employees to feel safe within their workplace. They may even feel disinterested in continuing unless appropriate action against the perpetrator is taken.
Discrimination sits nicely in the domain of harassment – seeing that it can be harassing for the victim to face discriminating actions. Similar to any negative experience in the workplace, workplace discrimination examples have a noticeable impact on the victim.
Let’s look at the different ways workplace discrimination can affect an employee:
Demotivates Them
One of the most common impacts of workplace discrimination examples, as you’d see, is demotivation. The individual experiencing it is highly likely to lose motivation to work or even show up in the workplace.
For them, even the idea of thinking about work can demotivate them and suck out all the happiness. This is primarily because their workplace does not have an ideal work environment anymore.
Affects Productivity
Decreased productivity directly impacts workplace discrimination as the employee finds it hard to concentrate. The environment around them is such that they find it difficult to focus on work – it also affects their work-life balance.
Less Engaged Employees
Less engagement with work is due to the disconnectedness employee/s feel to their work. One that can lead to several negative consequences, one of which is increased turnover.
Increases Employee Dissatisfaction
Employees experiencing discrimination can become dissatisfied with their work and show a dip in their performance.
Legal Risk for the Employer
Legal risk for employers, especially when they fail to address workplace discrimination. This often comes at the end when the employee feels their concerns are not resolved.
Poor Mental Health
Individuals who are part of classic workplace discrimination examples are prone to developing mental health issues. Common issues in such individuals include anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic stress, poor self-esteem, and reduced hope.
High Turnover Rate
When employees experience discrimination in the workplace and have no solution to their problems, while their pleas remain unheard, the solution for them is to look for better opportunities elsewhere.
This can also be seen as employees taking more than regular leave. This can be due to the mental and emotional impact this has on their wellbeing.
Physical Health Issues
Individuals who experience workplace discrimination can develop physical issues with time if they suppress the stress for too long. The constant stress from their hostile work environment can manifest as physical ailments.
Did you know some people may experience pain in their body due to stress? Yes, you may notice it in yourself too – when you’re in a stressful situation or going through something that hurts you emotionally or mentally, you feel physical pain.
Negative Outlook Toward Work
A noticeable impact of workplace discrimination is the individual developing a negative outlook towards their workplace. They dread going to work at the thought of facing the same people who make them feel how they feel.
With time, if the issue is not officially handled, it can lead to losing valuable employees who could make a difference. The lack of critical incident stress management can further worsen it.
Poor workplace Relationships
When an employee associates their workplace with negative emotions due to discrimination and lack of proper support, they are highly likely to shut off. They socially shut off and their interactions lessen with time, they may even become “unlike” themselves. Thereby affecting their employee relations.
For instance, you may see a usually jovial co-worker lose interest and always with a sad face – upon asking you find out they have been experiencing workplace discrimination.
It has several forms that creep up in almost every workplace – from seeing a disparity in the tasks assigned on baseless grounds and not getting the same opportunities despite qualifications.
Decreased Confidence
When an employee experiences discrimination, they become increasingly less confident in their abilities and skills. They feel their efforts are futile and as if their work goes unnoticed. They wonder, why should they put in the effort if they will be mistreated. Or even, biasness, despite putting in their 100%.
This causes a significant drop in their morale.
Let’s look at some examples of workplace discrimination to better understand their impact on employees and employers.
4 Workplace Discrimination Examples You Might (Sadly) Relate to
Before we dive into this section, it is essential to note that the following examples are real-life and may invoke negative feelings that may overwhelm you.
Reader’s discretion is advised.
Example 1
Mary has been a corporate employee for the past four years. She has a male co-worker, Ryan, who has the same work experience, but is up for a promotion. Both put in the same amount of work (effort and time) to do their job, and upon inquiry, Mary must hear this excuse from their department head “I need someone who will be dedicated to their position – you are about to get married in two months.”
What do you think is the outcome of this incident?
Example 2
Genelia is a 27-year-old manager at a hotel in LA and has an MBA in hotel management. Her co-workers are slightly older than her and have been working at the hotel longer than her – instead of helping her out, they misguide her and make her look bad in front of her supervisors.
She has spent almost every day at her new position trying to build better relationships with her co-workers. She has tried taking it up with her supervisor, but they tell her to give it some time and “pull through.”
Example 3
Georgia has recently applied for a position at a digital marketing firm and is excited to start her new job. The first few days of their work have been great, but they have recently seen a change in their co-worker’s behavior ever since they shared their interest in undergoing a gender reassignment procedure.
They are aware it may be the reason, as they’ve heard their co-workers making fun of their preference and gossiping about it with other co-workers when they’re not around.
They’re skeptical about what to do and are thinking of resigning. What should they do?
Example 4
Being in the toy store for 5 years, Kane does not have many options to change his profession due to a disability. Over a lunch discussion near payday, he finds out that his co-workers (without disability) receive a higher salary than him, despite being less experienced.
When he asked his manager – he confessed that Kane did not “do as much work around the store” as his co-workers.
The discrimination examples make it difficult for employees to put in their best efforts. The several impacts of workplace discrimination illustrated earlier can manifest in employees in these examples of workplace discrimination.
It is difficult for the employees to cope with the stress and find a way to show up to work with the same enthusiasm. You or someone you may know may have gone through the same incident and will find it relatable.
Wrapping It Up!
That was all about workplace discrimination examples and how it impacts the employees. It is also worth noting that employees can find it challenging to cope with workplace discrimination if they do not have the proper support.
This is harmful not just for the employers and the company but also for the employees experiencing it.
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