Questions an employer has no right to ask

You get a lot of questions at your workplace. You may not realise that you don’t have to answer all the questions that come your way every day. Help prevent discrimination and avoid any questions that make you uncomfortable. Of course, there are certain questions that no employer should ask. Here are just some of those questions.

1. What’s your sexual orientation?

A person’s sexuality is a private matter. It’s certainly not something you discuss in a professional setting unless it’s relevant to a work project. Even in those cases, you are under no obligation to answer questions about your sexuality.
Many people don’t want to give out this information to avoid being isolated by peers or even harassed. Your employer should understand that it’s not an appropriate topic for work.
If you do choose to disclose your sexuality to people at work, you should be free from any discrimination or harassment. If you have experienced harassment, be sure to go to the humans resource department as soon as possible to stay protected.

2. What gender are you?

Just like it’s not appropriate to talk about your sexuality, it’s also inappropriate to ask about your gender. The trans community has made a lot of progress over the years, but transexual people are still highly discriminated against.
You do not have to talk about your transition in any way to your employer. Your transition is your journey, and you don’t have to share that journey with anyone. It’s especially inappropriate to ask questions about a person’s genitals. You do not have to tolerate it.

3. What race are you? 

Some people have enigmatic origins. It’s not clear exactly what spices from around the world were used to make them the beautiful person they grew to be. If this is the case with you, you are free to maintain your mystery. You may want to tell people about what race or races you are, but you certainly don’t have to. When someone knows your race, any stereotypes or prejudices they may have can suddenly be applied to you ,whether they know it or not. You can avoid that by not answering the question.

4. Do you go to church?

Religion and spirituality should be a personal relationship between you and a higher being. It is not something to be discussed at work. Asking you your religion is inappropriate. If this every happens to you, without being embarrassed of or hiding your beliefs, simply suggest that you focus on work while at the office.

The office should be a place to get the job done. Sexuality, religion, and race are too personal for the workplace. If you do get asked these questions, politely get back to work. Talk to Human Resources if you start to feel uncomfortable. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to talk to a lawyer.