The Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act protect Californians from instances of age discrimination. Yet, some companies still attempt to cut older employees from their rosters, especially in the tech industry. Here are a few methods you can use to determine if you were let go due to age discrimination.
What Were Your Final Work Duties?
Often, companies that wish to fire older employees will try to get the employee to quit on their own. This can result in that employee being assigned difficult or even impossible tasks. If the worker is unable to complete these tasks, then the company will fire them for bad performance. However, if the employee still manages to complete those tasks, then that worker could still get fired or laid off. Note your job duties and any tasks outside of your normal work requirements.
What Was Your Work Environment Like?
Did your boss start asking you questions about your retirement? Are age-themed jokes being made at your expense? When was your last raise? Are you finding yourself isolated from your fellow employees? These could be signs that you were being eyed for an age-related termination.
Who Else Was Terminated?
When companies are targeting older employees, they will often do what AARP calls “culture fit.” This practice involves companies hiring lots of young workers while terminating older workers. So, if you noticed more young faces around your workplace before you were terminated, that may have been a sign of age discrimination.
If you noticed any of these signs, then you may need to contact an employment law attorney. The experienced attorneys at Yadegar, Minoofar & Soleymani LLP have a history of working with clients to protect their rights. But remember, you have a limited time to file a claim, so call us today at (310) 499-0140.