Working remotely has now become as common as working in a cubicle at work. It has a lot of advantages that people love such as not dealing with a long commute. There is one area that many people don’t think applies to remote workers. This is the fact that discrimination can happen even when you are part of a remote workforce.
Just because you are working face-to-face with your bosses and co-workers doesn’t mean that you are immune from being discriminated against. There are many cases where remote workers face discriminatory behavior. It is simply a case of different forms of the same problem when you are not working in an office. In this article, we will go over some of the ways you can face harassment and discrimination when working remotely.
1 – Wrongful termination
Remote workers are under the same system of at-will work in most cases as if they are working in a physical location. This means that they can be fired without warning. This doesn’t mean that if you are fired there is nothing that can be done. There are times when you are fired or terminated wrongfully and have a case that you can take to an employment lawyer.
For instance, if you belong to a protected class of workers then your termination has to be justified. If there is no valid reason then this could be a sign that you were discriminated against for being part of that class. This class protects people like minorities, disabled people, women, and others.
Look for things like a new manager taking over and singling you out when you never had issues before if you are in a protected class. Even if you aren’t in this class, you could be fired out of retaliation for not doing something unethical or even illegal that your bosses are asking you to do.
2 – Toxic atmosphere
There are some managers who are resentful that people are allowed to work from home even though the pandemic is slowing down. They are treating the staff poorly that work remotely and rewarding those that have returned to the office.
This can create a lot of anxiety on the part of the remote workers and cause a lot of problems with productivity and other issues.
The discrimination in this scenario can be in the form of hostile emails, SMS messages, or even over video calls. If you feel that you are being berated or feeling some hostility toward you then make sure to keep a record of all of the digital communication for later.
3 – No promotions
You could also be singled out by being passed over for promotions and raises. If there is a problem that you are having with a manager even though your performance reviews are always good then this is a sign that you are being discriminated against. Make sure to keep any of your reviews to show to a lawyer to prove that you have been a good worker.
