Can Younger Employees File Age-Based Workplace Discrimination Claims?

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As a younger employee, you may, unfortunately, enter a situation in which you are made a victim of age discrimination. When this occurs, you may be wondering what you can do to fight back. Read on to discover whether younger employees can file an age-based discrimination claim and how a seasoned New York discrimination lawyer at Bell Law Group can help you explore your legal options.

As a younger employee, can I file an age-based discrimination claim?

First of all, you must know about the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. This is a significant federal labor law that prohibits employment discrimination against any employee in the United States. However, this law only protects those who are at least 40 years of age. So, unfortunately, if you are a younger employee, you may not be eligible to file an age-based discrimination claim.

What should I do if I experience age discrimination in the workplace?

Just because you may not qualify for an age-based discrimination claim does not necessarily mean that you cannot take action altogether. That is, you may still be eligible to file a harassment or hostile work environment claim against your employer if you have been subject to the following:

  • Your employer, manager, or otherwise coworkers have consistently said slurs against you.
  • Your employer, manager, or otherwise coworkers have consistently said offensive jokes against you.
  • Your employer, manager, or otherwise coworkers have consistently threatened you.
  • Your employer, manager, or otherwise coworkers have consistently belittled you.

And so, if you believe that you are constantly being harassed or discriminated against in the workplace, then you should take the following actions:

  1. Notify your employer, manager, and/or Human Resources department about the harassment or discrimination against you.
  2. Keep records showing that you have attempted to notify the above individuals about the harassment or discrimination against you (i.e., emails, official complaints, meeting minutes, etc).
  3. Keep records of the harassment or discrimination against you (i.e., emails, text messages, voice recordings, video recordings, damaged property, etc).
  4. Keep a detailed log of each instance of harassment or discrimination (i.e., the date it occurred, what was said or done, the parties involved, etc).
  5. Keep a detailed log of each instance of retaliation against you after bringing forward your harassment or discrimination complaint.

From here, you should then reach out to a competent New York discrimination lawyer. We will look at all aspects of your situation to determine how to best go about your case. We will do everything in our power to recover the damages you incurred from your discrimination incident and any retaliation that followed. So, without further hesitation, you must pick up the phone and give us a call today.

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