You don't get to your 40's without having experienced, or at least witnessed. discrimnation at work.
It doesn't matter what it's over, but discrimination in the workplace is not something that should ever be treated as a joke. Whether it's over gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or religion, you should be able to work and live freely as much as you want to without somebody piping up and having an opinion about it.
You also shouldn't have to work in a position where your employer judges you or bases your bonuses or your pay on your specific circumstances.
Personally, and sadly, I have found from my own experience that we live in a very ageist and sexist society still.
When you go to work, you are there to do a job, and if you are fulfilling the needs of the company and you are spending your time doing the job you're supposed to do, that's all that should count. For example, you shouldn't need to call in a cerebral palsy solicitor to assist you because your disabilities are not being considered properly, discrimination in the work place takes on many forms and it is unfortunately far more common than you would think.
It doesn't matter what the numbers are around the world either. The point is, it's a real problem. Bullying may start in the playground, but it does carry over into some workplaces.
What you should do if you experience discrimination in the work place
Talk about it. A friend, a family member, a person that you trust. No matter who it is, you should find somebody to discuss it with. Discrimination isn't something that you have to go through by yourself. In fact, it's something that you should be asking for help with. Being able to talk it through means that you can ensure that you are not feeling like this is happening and it's not. It's easy to think that maybe you're being paranoid, so it can be a relief when someone validates how you are feeling. It can also help to let them know how miserable it is making you feel.
Lay out the facts for other people and ask them their opinion. Ideally, you don't want to have a conversation like this with anybody from your workplace, even if they are a friend, because you don't truly know who you can rely on.
Decide on your approach. Not every bit of discriminatory behavior is actionable, but you do need to consider what your approach is going to be here. Once you've got some solid advice, you're going to be in a better position to decide what you want to do about it. If your job is one that you want to fight for, and you're place in a company is one that you want to fight for, then make sure that you are fighting for it.
Document everything and talk to a Solicitor. Every single time you are discriminated against. Write it down with the time and date it happens and keep a log. Always report it to the HR department and keep a log of those reports as well.
Love T x