More than a quarter of employees, 28 percent, have a boss who discriminates against employees. When calculated, this affects over a million people. This issue impacts not only individuals with different skin colors or sexual orientations but also those who are overweight or at the very bottom of the corporate hierarchy. Additionally, 10 percent of employees experience unpleasant behavior from their superiors.
Discrimination at work can affect almost anyone, often manifesting as more work for lower pay than colleagues. The most frequent discrimination reported by employees, including those working through agencies or on agreements, was pay disparity, cited by 18 percent. An equal percentage noted issues with communication style and career opportunities.
Further forms of discrimination include adjustments to working hours, such as choosing shifts, start and end times, and the distribution of working hours. Fourteen percent of employees reported this form of discrimination. Additionally, 10 percent of respondents perceived discrimination in decisions about who would undergo training or other forms of education or when hiring new employees.
Individuals over the age of 59 more frequently report injustice in pay and communication, while those aged 45 to 59 more often experience discrimination in working hour adjustments. People without a high school diploma and those with low incomes are more likely to face unfairness in professional training and career advancement.
Women, foreigners, and individuals with disabilities are particularly affected. Respondents indicated that the main targets of discrimination in companies are women, mothers with children, foreigners, people with different skin colors, those at the lowest levels of the corporate hierarchy, individuals of a certain age, people with health limitations, those who are overweight, and people with minority sexual orientations. The study’s authors noted that individuals with multiple specific characteristics are more vulnerable.
The behavior of superiors also influences workplace satisfaction. Unpleasant or inappropriate behavior from superiors affects 10 percent of employees, even if it is not their personal situation. This issue is more commonly encountered by people over the age of 60 and those with low incomes. Although only one percent of employees report their superiors as being overtly aggressive or bullying, this still translates to approximately 40,000 people suffering unnecessary stress. Respondents described aggressive behavior as arrogance, anger, rude behavior, vulgarity, and more.