Job applicants and employees should be judged by employers based purely on their merits for a specific role. This means that irrelevant factors such as age, race, national origin, gender or sexual orientation should never be considered.

While there are laws in place that protect workers from age discrimination, unfortunately, ageism is still a common issue. Those aged over 40 may find it more difficult to gain employment or progress in their careers. If you believe that you have been a victim of age discrimination at work, pay attention to some of the most common signs.

There is a clear trend in the workplace

Many companies that are discriminatory regarding age engage in routine discrimination. Showing that a clear trend is occurring in your workplace is a stronger argument than simply highlighting your situation. If you have recently been laid off and replaced by a younger worker, it may help your claim if you can show that this has happened to other older workers.

You are being given tasks that you are overqualified for

If you are being given mundane or arbitrary tasks while younger employees are gaining more responsibility, you may be undervalued and stereotyped because of your age. Your managers may want to invest more in younger employees because of the longevity of their careers, but this is a type of age discrimination.

You are being given low performance ratings for no good reason

If you know that you are performing well but you experience a sudden drop in your performance reviews, you would be wise to be suspicious. Your managers may be trying to find a reason to fire you, and this could certainly be due to underlying age discrimination motives.

You are not getting the promotions or raises that you deserve

If you are the most qualified candidate for a promotion, there is no obvious reason why a younger and less qualified candidate should gain the promotion. Always consider the possibility of age discrimination if you are in a position like this.

If you have recently been fired, demoted or treated poorly as an employee over 40, consider taking legal action if you believe you have been affected by age discrimination.