Systematic discrimination in Texas workplaces continues to be a problem. There are several different ways that systematic discrimination can be defined: It may impact a particular geographic location, an industry, a profession or a company. Alternatively, you can also define systematic discrimination by the way that an organization is structured. If the same pattern of behavior has injured a group of people, they may be experiencing systematic discrimination. Looking at types of systematic discrimination can help you understand this issue.
Hiring and promotion
Historically, the hiring and promotion of particular groups of people has been an enormous source of discrimination. For example, the practice of hiring only women to be secretaries or men to be ranch hands is systematic discrimination. There are other examples where job advertisements contain wording such as “young” or “recent graduates” to avoid hiring certain groups of people. Companies that hire only by word of mouth can also fall into this type of discrimination because people tend to hang out with people like themselves.
Policies and practices
A prominent example of this type of discrimination is maternal leave, but there are many others. Hiring only people in a particular age bracket or who are all one sex could be a pattern of discrimination. Hiring only people who speak English or Spanish is another potential discrimination problem. If you feel that your employer has discriminated against a group of workers by the practices and policies in place, an employment law attorney may be able to help.
Reduction in workforce
Other discrimination issues arise when companies need to reduce their workforce. For example, suggesting that people who are old enough to take retirement do so is a form of systematic discrimination. Any policy that discourages people from filing complaints with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission could also lead to discrimination claims.
Discrimination in the workplace is not acceptable under the law. A lawyer may be able to help you if you feel that you are facing discrimination by your employer.