Whether you have a disability or not, you can recognize the injustice of discrimination against yourself and your coworkers. Nobody should have less of a chance at a successful career because of a disability, and everybody should receive reasonable accommodations to perform their job well.
The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission clearly outlines laws that state the illegal nature of disability discrimination in the workplace. If you witness the telltale signs of discrimination occurring within your work environment, you have the responsibility of deciding what you will do about it.
What are the signs of disability discrimination?
At its core, discrimination is any action that negatively impacts an individual as a result of differential treatment regarding a pre-existing condition or affiliation. Some of the ways this can manifest toward people with disabilities in the workplace include:
- Refusal to hire
- Lack of accommodations
- Harassment
- Unnecessary penalties
- Wrongful termination
What can you do when disability discrimination occurs at your job?
You can strive to improve your workplace and improve working conditions for everyone by reporting illegal discrimination to the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Hawaii whistleblower laws protect you from an employer’s attempts to retaliate against you for disclosing information of unlawful activity to the proper authorities.
It is important to understand that workplace discrimination affects everyone, even those who are not the target of harassment. Discrimination damages company morale and perpetuates a toxic environment that will prevent a business from growing into a healthy, diverse team in which everyone can accomplish their best work.