10. Juanita recently graduated from high school and began work as a shift manager at a retail store that specializes in clothing for juniors. She does not get along with an older employee (age 45) who works part-time. At one staff meeting, Juanita gave the older employee a cane as a joke. On another occasion, Juanita told the older employee to take the afternoon off and go home to take a nap. Juanita regularly refers to this older employee as “Grandma.” After several months, Juanita fires the older employee because she wants to hire someone younger. Juanita believes a younger employee will relate better to the store’s teen customers. Did Juanita discriminate against the older employee?
- Yes. Federal law protects workers age 40 or older from job discrimination and harassment based on their age.
- No. The federal age discrimination law does not apply to teenage workers, so it is not illegal for Juanita to fire the older employee.
- No. As a manager, Juanita has the authority to make decisions about hiring and firing employees.
- No. Juanita did not discriminate against the older employee because it is important for a retail store that markets to teenagers to hire workers who are the same age as its customers.