Even with the move towards diversity and inclusion in the workplace, discrimination remains prevalent.

Over 90% of employees say that they have faced it at one point or another in their careers.

Discrimination can come in a range of forms and comprises the unfair treatment of an individual based on their protected characteristics. Such characteristics include age, sex, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religious beliefs, marriage, and pregnancy.

Wrongful treatment of an individual in the workplace may be against an employee or group of employees, and the perpetrator may be the employer or a colleague. Workers may be called names, excluded from social activities, or not offered the same opportunities as their peers due to discrimination, so it is a workplace issue that we must all take seriously.

Discrimination, whether at the hands of an employer or employee, can lead to several negative consequences within the workplace and outside of the workplace. In this article, we are going to cover the potential negative impacts of workplace discrimination.

Professional Impacts of Workplace Discrimination

Workers who experience discrimination may experience a reduction in productivity and work satisfaction. They may feel unmotivated to work and, as a result, experience a stall in their career progression that negatively impacts their career path.

Many employees who experience ongoing workplace discrimination end up leaving their employment due to stress, dissatisfaction, and fear. This leads to high employee turnover that negatively impacts workplace culture and business success.

Many employees choose to have legal representation to be taken seriously when they are being discriminated against. Legal representation is key for tackling workplace discrimination and the associated professional and personal impacts.

Personal Impacts of Workplace Discrimination

Being a victim of workplace discrimination can lead to severe stress, anxiety, and low mood. It can make workers feel hopeless and worthless, and significantly lower their job satisfaction. When an individual doesn’t enjoy their work, it can bleed into their personal life and make them less likely to socialize with loved ones or participate in hobbies.

Ongoing discrimination, especially if it involves name calling, bullying, or harassment, can cause low self-esteem and low confidence, which may negatively impact a person’s overall quality of life.

Financial Impacts of Workplace Discrimination

Workplace discrimination can have financial implications on both businesses and individual employees. Business owners who allow discrimination to continue within the workplace are at risk of a damaged reputation and high employee turnover rate, both of which increase expenses and decrease profits.

At the individual level, employees can end up missing several days, weeks, or months of work due to being a victim of discrimination. They may leave their jobs if the discrimination becomes too much to handle, removing their source of income and potentially leading to financial strain.

Paying a lawyer to take legal action against the perpetrator can cost a lot of money, which further adds to the financial strain that a victim of discrimination may face.