Workplace discrimination can have a massive impact on the rest of your life, even after you leave that workplace and avoid the constant abuse. It can change the way you think and feel for years to come. Naturally, it can also have a drastic impact on your career, which also leads to some of these mental and emotional issues.
For instance, while working as a delivery driver, one man said that he constantly got punished for little mistakes that other drivers were allowed to make. He alleged that it was because he was African American, while these other drivers were white.
In some cases, he said that he even got in trouble for things he did not do. He was once reprimanded for driving improperly, for instance, based on a rule his supervisor claimed existed, but it did not. In another instance, someone stole the dolly that he used to move packages. Initially, his supervisors accused him of stealing it from the company, saying he needed the money and suggesting that he sold it to a third party. In the end, they found out that someone else had taken it.
In any case, the man was eventually fired, and he said the whole thing really stuck with him. Three years later, he said: “I’m still a wreck. I’m still depressed. I’m still stressed.” However, he did not have the money to go to therapy for those issues.
Have you experienced discrimination at work based on your ethnic background, your gender, your age or some other factor? If so, it is important not only to understand the impact it can have on your life but also to know what legal steps you can take.
