Many people in Indiana today find that they are not always ready to retire as early as their parents or grandparents did. There may be a myriad of reasons for this but regardless of why, a person at an older age should be able to work without fear of being discriminated against or harassed because of their age. Fortunately, there are legal protections in place designed to prevent this or to provide workers the ability to seek compensation if such things do occur.
As explained by the United States Equal Opportunity Commission, the federal government has in place a law called the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. This actually covers employees starting from the age of 40 and up. Per the provisions of the ADEA, no person should be subject to harassment because they are over 40. This includes having to endure repeated or ongoing jokes or negative comments about their age from a colleague.
The ADEA also outlines as illegal the consideration of age when determining compensation, training opportunities or job tasks. No decision to hire, promote or terminate an employee should be based on the fact that they are over 40. This law applies to private and public sector employers.
AARP explains that in addition to the ADEA, most states also have age discrimination employment laws in place. The statutes of limitations may differ between state and federal laws and should be reviewed by people if and when they need to seek help for potential discrimination or harassment based on their age.
