Are You Being Treated Fairly At Work?
Work can be tough for just about all of us a lot of the time. After all, if it was always easy and fun then it wouldn’t be called work, would it? Sure, we all often have to put up with long hours, frustration, and days where you’d really rather just be doing something else. However, sometimes a job can end up being a whole lot worse than that.
Sure, having to work a job that you don’t really care that much about can be frustrating, but even the best job in the world can end up being a total waking nightmare if you find yourself working for someone who doesn’t treat you properly. Most of us are aware that being friends with your boss isn’t that likely, or particularly sensible for that matter, but at the very least we all know that there should be an exchange of mutual respect between you both.
However, if you’re working for someone who isn’t offering that respect to you then it can make life incredibly unpleasant. Sadly, a lot of us end up working for these kinds of people often enough that it can be tough to really be able to recognize the signs of being treated poorly. With that in mind, here are some things to look out for if you’re starting to think that you’re not being treated fairly by your employer.
A Lack Of Fair Pay
One of the most common ways that a lot of employers are able to get away with treating their employees unfairly is not paying them a fair salary. Far too often, a lot of people will just accept how much their employer wants to pay them because they either don’t want to rock the boat or because they simply don’t realize that it’s happening. If your employer is simply trying to skim profits off the top then they could well be paying you and all of their other employees less than they deserve. However, there’s also a chance that different people can end up getting paid different amounts to each other. A lot of the time women and minorities end up getting paid significantly less. The only way to really deal with this issue is to talk to your coworkers. Bad employers depend on the fact that most of us are uncomfortable talking about money so that they can get away with not paying their employees an amount that’s actually fair. Talk to your coworkers and make sure that a) you’re all getting paid the same if you’re doing the same jobs, and b) that the amount you’re getting paid is actually fair.
Forced Overtime
There are some jobs where things need to get done to meet deadlines and that can sometimes result in needing to stay a little late at work or come in outside of normal working hours. However, there are two incredibly important things that have to happen in this situation: Firstly, overtime should always be voluntary. If you’re being made to feel as though you have no choice but to work overtime or that, if you don’t you’re going to end up in trouble, then that’s completely unacceptable. You also need to make sure that you’re getting paid a fair amount for overtime. If you’re coming into work during your free time then the amount that you’re getting paid should reflect that. You need to make sure that you never let your employer feel like you’re obligated to work overtime. A healthy work/life balance is essential for a happy life and if your employer is trying to take that away from you then that is a serious issue.
No Safety Measures
Health and safety is one of those things that is incredibly important in all workplaces and yet seems to get ignored a lot of the time. Because of that, any employer who isn’t implementing correct health and safety procedures is not only doing you and their other employees a disservice but is also committing a very serious crime. If you feel like your workplace isn’t safe and that there are things that your employer isn’t doing, then it’s your responsibility to report it to the authorities. If you don’t then there’s a good chance that someone could end up getting seriously hurt. From tripping over loose cables to the high risk of a fire, a lack of the correct health and safety precautions can be deadly. And let’s face it, it’s almost certainly going to be better to confront an employer or the authorities about things like this rather than having to then speak to a burn injury attorney when someone inevitably ends up getting seriously hurt.
A Lack Of Support
Far too many employers seem to assume that their job is simply to be in charge of people and to tell them what to do. And sure, being able to keep employees on the right track whenever you can is one of the key responsibilities of any employer or business owner. However, that is not the same thing as just bossing people around and it misses something incredibly important. It misses out the fact that it’s also an employers job to provide help and support to employees whenever possible. If you’re struggling with your work for whatever reason then you should be able to look to your employer for help and support. Otherwise, you’re just going to end up making the same mistakes over and over and making life a whole lot more difficult for yourself. If your employer isn’t offering you support and is simply piling bigger and bigger expectations onto you, then that’s a serious problem.
Double Standards
We all have certain people that we get on with better than others, that’s just a natural part of life. Some people are going to become great friends and others just aren’t going to get along for whatever reason. However, if you’re running a business then it’s crucial that you’re able to put those kinds of feelings aside for the good of the business. If your boss or employer is playing favorites then that’s a serious issue. After all, if you’re doing just as much work as someone else but they’re getting all of the credit then that’s just going to make it much harder for you to feel like putting in much effort at all. Now, this can often be one of the less serious issues in a workplace since there’s a chance that your employer doesn’t even know that they’re doing it. If that’s the case then you need to just go and speak to them. However, if you bring this up with them and they still ignore it and continue to play favorites, then that’s a serious issue.
Workplace Discrimination
It would be wonderful to say that things like racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other kind of discrimination were things of the past but that’s sadly not the case. Sure, they’re a whole lot less common than they were but that doesn’t mean that they’re gone for good. It’s a sad fact that there are plenty of employers who are more than happy to either ignore workplace harassment and discrimination or even to be directly involved in it. If that’s something that’s happening constantly then it could even be considered a criminal matter and it’s essential that you talk to the authorities. If you need to get out of that kind of job though, that’s okay. It’s better to feel safe and secure than to try and put up with a toxic and discriminatory work environment. If there are cases that need legal action, choose a lawyer who can help you with your concern. A pregnancy discrimination lawyer, for example, helps pregnant women, working mothers, and women who experience childbirth illnesses who are being rejected or bullied in the workplace.
Of course, knowing about all of this is one thing, but the next question is, what are you actually supposed to do about it? This is where a lot of people end up deciding to just forget about the whole thing and ignore it. They decide that, instead of putting in the work required to get the treatment that they deserve, they’ll just keep their heads down. In some extreme cases, people have been treated so poorly by so many employers that they don’t even realize that’s what’s happening. The first thing to do is to speak to your coworkers. If you’re being mistreated then there’s a good chance that they are as well. If all of you complain, then that’s going to be a whole lot harder to ignore than if just one of you do. There are also plenty of resources out there that can provide advice, guidance, and support to anyone struggling with poor treatment in the workplace. Whatever you do, don’t just hide your head in the sand. The idea of confronting this kind of problem can be very scary, but it can often end up making life a whole lot worse than it would otherwise be if you just try and ignore it. Of course, it’s important to remember that, if you’ve tried confronting the problem but nothing good has really come of it, then the very best thing that you can do is to just walk away. After all, no job is worth making yourself constantly miserable.
