Workplace discrimination occurs when an employee or job applicant is treated unfavorably due to characteristics such as race, gender, age, or disability, which are protected under employment laws. It not only affects the targeted individual's career and well-being but also undermines organizational effectiveness and can lead to legal repercussions for the employer.
Adverse Impact Analysis is a method used to identify and evaluate potential discriminatory effects of employment practices on protected groups, ensuring compliance with equal employment opportunity laws. It involves statistical assessments to determine if a particular group is disproportionately affected by hiring, promotion, or other employment decisions compared to others.
Legal discrimination refers to the differential treatment of individuals or groups that is permitted or mandated by law, often justified by specific legal or policy objectives. It can include both positive discrimination, like affirmative action, and negative discrimination, such as age-based restrictions, and is subject to ongoing legal and ethical debates regarding its fairness and impact on equality.
Disparate impact refers to practices in employment, housing, or other areas that affect one group of people more harshly than another, even if the rules applied are formally neutral. It is a critical concept in discrimination law, emphasizing the consequences of actions rather than the intent behind them, and aims to ensure equal opportunities by scrutinizing policies that result in inequitable outcomes.