When you're the target of an inappropriate comment, question, or joke at work, it's common to brush it off - especially if no one else seems to notice or care. Speaking up can feel like more trouble than it's worth and you might worry about being labeled as overly sensitive or disruptive.

But here’s the risk: if you ignore these early signs of bias, it becomes much harder to protect yourself later if the discrimination escalates into a denied promotion, retaliation, or termination.

In this post, we’ll walk through what discrimination red flags to look for and how to protect yourself for each of the following:

Inappropriate comments may perpetuate assumptions and stereotypes about what a person is capable of. These comments may be intentionally hostile or a consequence of a person’s unconscious bias.