Employment Discrimination

Ever since the universal declaration of human rights, most countries across the globe had in one way or another attempted to illustrate equality among its populace in all aspects. This includes the right of a person against discrimination on his employment. Therefore, it is universal that a person should only be assessed for employment based on his skills and other credentials. However, there are instances that, whether intentional or not, an employee is discriminated upon by his employers due to his background.

Definition

Employment discrimination occurs when a particular person experiences bias on his employment, which includes hiring, promotion, assignment of a job, termination, and compensation, among others. This discrimination may be due to the employee’s race, gender, religious beliefs and practices, national origin, disabilities, or age, among others. For most countries, in lieu with the universal declaration of human rights, using the above mentioned background and characteristics as a basis for employment is prohibited, except when the job specifies it, like a gender-specific job, among others. The latter can be regarded as an unintentional discrimination, and may not be considered unlawful. Employment discrimination is more common during the hiring process, when some employers intentionally deny the application of some prospective employees based on his race, sexual-orientation, age, or disability, among others.

Dealing with employment discrimination

For most countries, employment discrimination is unconstitutional and is in no way tolerated. The best thing to do to prevent this form of discrimination is to know your rights and practice them. As employment discrimination is more often than not carried out by superiors and employers, the person being discriminated upon should alert proper authorities in the government, like the Human Rights Commission to address the issue. The employers, for their parts, should be fully aware and strong in implementing the policies against employment discrimination. Furthermore, they should be sensitive when dealing with their employees to avoid issues of discrimination, even unintentional ones.