Dollar General will pay $295,000 to settle allegations that it harassed older workers and threatened them with termination.
A regional director in Oklahoma allegedly harassed district managers who were in their 50s and older, calling them “grumpy old men,” according to a July 16 statement from the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announcing the settlement.
The director also told the workers he was building “a millennial team”; said they needed “young blood” in the stores; and threatened the workers to keep up with the “millennial team” or quit or be fired.
Some of the managers complained, but EEOC said Dollar General failed to take action. Emboldened, the director retaliated against those who reported the misconduct, the commission said.
Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, EEOC said. “Unfortunately, age discrimination in the workplace is pervasive and often goes unreported,” said Andrea Baran, an EEOC regional attorney. “Employers must take serious, effective steps to prevent age discrimination and harassment, they must encourage employees to report any discriminatory treatment they experience or observe on the job, and they must not tolerate any workplace behavior that demeans or ridicules older workers because of their age.”
In addition to the payment to three former managers, Dollar General also agreed to train retail and human resources managers, adopt and distribute policies and procedures to prevent age harassment and discrimination, and notify employees of their rights, the agency said.
Dollar General did not respond to a request for comment.