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In general, if you don't fit in with the culture of the people you're working with, it's best to keep the differences to yourself and strive to do the best job possible. Even if you're doing excellent work, if you're constantly judging others (like over the blue hair for example) or starting arguments over your differences, you're not gonna be there for long as others won't like working for you. Conversely, if your cultural differences make it tough for you to communicate with the rest of the team (say they prefer emailing and Slack while you prefer the phone and face to face) it could also impact how much you contribute to the team which also jeopardizes your job.
Are you over 40? If so you might be able to go for an age discrimination lawsuit under The AgeDiscrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). File a Charge of Discrimination with the EEOC
You have 180 days to take action, but if you are going this route I would recommend doing so now, even before you file for unemployment. It could help you if your former employer tried to block your unemployment benefits by claiming they fired you for cause (though the burden on them to prove cause to block unemployment benefits is fairly high). An EEOC complaint is a lot less difficult and expensive to go through than a lawsuit, and a lawyer is probably going to tell you to get that on file first. If EEOC finds proof of discrimination, that would make a lawsuit a lot easier.
Not that I am recommending a lawsuit. I worked for a company where I was the victim of workplace bullying an overall toxic environment, and discrimination for not being Japanese in a Japanese company. I guess I could have tried to sue, but moving on, forgetting about them and getting a job I've had for 6+ years and love was a far better investment in my time and emotional well-being. In your case, if you are over 40, I'd file the EEOC complaint and leave it at that. Not because you're looking for money, but because they shouldn't get away with it if that is what happened here.
They hired him knowing he was over 40 and much older than the other workers. So obviously its not age discrimination. I’m guessing it was something in his attitude or how he related to the team that just did not work.
At least you've backed off somewhat from "virtually impossible". I'm not sure how "extremely unlikely" it really is, since in my 20 years of post college working, I've seen new hires placed under the wing of someone only slightly senior to them who had no involvement in their hiring more times than I can count. And I have seen strong personality conflicts take place in such pairings more than a few times. I've even been in one of those personality conflicts early in my career, and was badmouthed to management by my "supervisor" who had only been on the job 3 months longer than me. He was REALLY pissed a year later when I finished my masters and got the same promotion he did at the same time.
I would hope any discrimination would be extremely unlikely in this day and age, but given the number of people who start a new job every day, the law of truly large numbers would mean even the extremely unlikely is going to happen from time to time. I don't know if this is or is not one of those times, but as this is just a casual online discussion forum, I don't see the harm in discussing possible scenarios, or why some people are so opposed to doing so.
My opinion comes from 20 + years HR that has dealt directly with discriminatory charges and have sat through mediation and settlement. I've never seen someone go through three interviews where the hiring manager wasn't part of the hiring decision.
Possible? Sure, but highly unlikely and unless the OP shares further information not worth the time, effort, and money to pursue.
I think the best input to offer is realistic expectation, pursuing a a strong discrimination charge is very draining, a weak case can be devastating.
Age discrimination, based on what? Go talk to an attorney, if he wants to take your case on contingency, do it, he believes you may have something, if he wants to take it on an hourly scale he thinks you have no case. Most lawyers will tell you that you have no case on the first visit.
The way the OP talks about the other workers, it is very plain he did not fit in with them, and made them uncomfortable to be around him. When you work with people you think are freaks, you are going to act that way with them with a superior attitude. In turn you are going to make them uncomfortable, which means you are not a good fit. If they were discriminating for your age, they would never have hired you.
Branal, "bad corporate fit" is a euphemism for "not a good worker".
It sounds like you don't know why you were fired. You certainly weren't fired because the other employees had piercings and dyed hair.
I would suggest you go into HR and ask what you should put on your resume - get help with wording. And ASK what happened - what the problem was if you actually don't know.
It's unlikely they actual reason would ever be disclosed, especially once the employee is terminated.
It seems the OP agrees he was a bad fit. The disagreement seems to be that he believes the company is to blame and owes him something. They attempted due diligence with a multiple interview hiring process and still lost.
It seems the OP agrees he was a bad fit. The disagreement seems to be that he believes the company is to blame and owes him something. They attempted due diligence with a multiple interview hiring process and still lost.
Not really. Have you ever been in the position of doing much hiring? It is very difficult to determine how someone will perform and work out on the job. All sorts of approaches have been tried for interviewing and selection. None are perfect.
Secondly, unemployment is extremely low. Most companies are scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to finding potential applicants and hiring. The bottom of the labor market is typically filled with psychopaths, criminals, drug abusers and the like. After eliminating the worst applicants, companies often have no one left to hire.
And, finally, what about the applicant's responsibility? When I interviewed to obtain employment, I tried to make a favorable impression, but I also tried to learn as much as possible about the job requirements and work environment. I interviewed potential bosses as seriously as they interviewed me. The applicant knows better than anyone else if they will fit in. For some of us working with young people or working for a young boss can be enjoyable and stimulating. Others don't fit in and often are upset working for someone younger.
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