Age discrimination claims showed the highest increase out of all the bias complaints filed against private employers last year with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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Figures for 2001 released last week by the agency showed the number of age-bias complaints rose to 17,405 last year from 16,008 in 2000, and represented 21.5 percent of all the complaints made to the EEOC.
“Usually, we see an increase in age discrimination charges during an economic downturn,” EEOC spokesman David Grinberg said.
EEOC chairwoman Cari M. Dominguez said the number of age and disability discrimination incidents are rising with the graying of America.
All other types of claims–such as those based on race, gender, retaliation and disability–either held steady or declined a bit from the previous year.
The EEOC received a total of 80,840 charge filings last year, a slight increase over 79,896 from 2000. Race-based claims still led the pack with 28,912, or nearly 36 percent of all the complaints. Sex and gender-bias claims (25,140) accounted for 31 percent of all complaints, followed by retaliation (27.5 percent of filings) and age.
Protection at the office
Domestic abuse might begin in the home, but it doesn’t always stop there. Many victims are harassed at work, making it nearly impossible for them to do their jobs.
Only 17 states have laws that extend unemployment insurance to victims who have to quit their jobs and move to escape their attacker, said Elizabeth Owens, manager of state affairs for the Society for Human Resource Management. Illinois is not among them.
Only six states have legislation that allows employers to seek a restraining order against an abuser who follows his victim to work.
“That’s in the interest of protecting all employees,” Owens said.
On the federal level, a bill was recently introduced that would require employers to provide job security to victims of domestic violence.
The Victims Economic Security and Safety Act would provide unpaid leave for victims seeking assistance, unemployment benefits for victims who lose their jobs because of the abuse and tax credits for any costs incurred by the employer related to violence against women.
Domestic violence costs businesses $3 billion to $5 billion a year in health and workers’ compensation costs, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
American workers take off an estimated 175,000 workdays a year due to domestic violence.
Appearance matters
The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that 92 percent of respondents to its Job Outlook 2002 survey said their opinion of a job candidate is influenced by that person’s appearance.
With an estimated 20 to 25 percent fewer jobs for bachelor’s degree graduates this year, NACE reports, now is not the time to “get jiggy” with your appearance.
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