Understanding the effects of workplace discrimination

Discrimination can lead to health concerns for employees as well as financial loss and a morale decline for the company.

Not all Texas residents face the same discrimination-related challenges in the workplace. However, 61% of adults across the country report some form of prejudicial treatment in their day-to-day life according to the American Psychological Association. For some, this unfair conduct may happen at work. Many companies have rules in place to deter this negative treatment, but discrimination is still a reality for a wide range of individuals. Most people are aware of the negative impact this activity can have on a single worker, but unchecked discrimination can have greater reaching effects as well.

Health concerns

Unjust treatment can lead to higher stress levels, which in turn can result in more health problems for those personally attacked. When a person is constantly worried about being discriminated against because of race, religion or gender, he or she may overthink clothing choices, conversations and every other little thing throughout his or her day. Excessive amounts of stress have been known to reduce the quality of sleep and lead to over- or under-eating. Once these bad habits are formed, a person may start to feel chronically ill.

Financial loss

Not only can discrimination affect a single employee, but it can also have a major impact on a business as a whole. Companies can be faced with monetary loss because of ongoing discrimination. For example, if an employee quits because he or she is being harassed, the business then has to spend money trying to hire and train a new worker. Even if the employee stays in his or her position, the company could still lose money because of the need to hire a productivity consultant or legal aide to solve the underlying issues that cause the poor treatment.

Morale decline

When employees feel like they are not being treated fairly, they may start to feel resentful toward the management team and other employees who benefit from the discrimination. This negative attitude can affect how well the workers perform, which can then affect the overall performance of a business. For example, a woman who never gets assigned new clients because they are always given to her male counterpart may start to miss deadlines, call in sick or otherwise quit fulfilling her responsibilities. While all of these actions hurt her performance, they can also impact the reputation of her employer. If the same woman is valued as an employee, she may instead take pride in her work and care about the company’s reputation.

When discrimination is allowed to permeate the Texas workplace, it can have negative effects on employees as well as the company as a whole. Whether a person is harassed because of his or her race, religion, gender or any other aspect, it may be beneficial for an affected worker to reach out to an attorney familiar with this type of federal employment case.