Commentary By Hans Bader | January 29, 2021 | 10:54am EST
Lady Justice holds her scales. (Photo credit: LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Thanks to laws against hostile work environments, saying OK, boomer in the workplace can get you fired, notes human-resource professional Suzanne Lucas. That s because it expresses prejudice based on age, and thus contributes to a hostile environment for older workers. Under federal law, conduct is illegal when it creates a hostile or abusive working environment for people based on their age, race, sex, disability, or other protected characteristic.
A bill that is likely to become law in Virginia may expand this liability further. It would make employers liable for work environments that are hostile or offensive, based on age, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or marital status, defining that as workplace harassment.