The majority of Irish workers say they have experienced some form of discrimination at work according to a new survey by Matrix Recruitment.
The 2022 Workplace Equality Survey found that almost three in four workers have experienced some form of discrimination in their place of employment, a 54% increase on last year's findings.
Of those who have experienced prejudice at work, ethnic discrimination was found to be one of the most common forms, identified by 30% of respondents.
29% of people surveyed said that they had experienced sexual harassment, while one in four said that they had been stereotyped because of their gender.
Other key areas of discrimination identified by respondents related to religion, age and pay.
On the topic of pay discrimination, a quarter of men said they knew a colleague of the opposite sex and with the same role or responsibility who is being paid less than them.
This compared to 17% of women who said they knew a colleague with the same role or responsibility, of the opposite sex, that is being paid less than them.
Almost three quarters of respondents say they had witnessed or had been the victim of bullying or harassment in a work-based setting.
Of those, nearly half said it involved disparaging remarks about appearance, race, sexual orientation, or gender and almost a third identified exclusion from work gatherings.
With remote and hybrid now the norm in many workplaces, the research found that just over half of bullying incidents, experienced or witnessed, had taken place in a remote or virtual setting.
Almost everyone who took part in the survey said they felt that there is a "glass ceiling" for women in the workplace.
Just one in five said promotional opportunities were equal for both men and women, while more than half felt men had more opportunities to move up the career ladder.
"Any form of discrimination or harassment is totally unacceptable, and our most recent findings show that it continues to manifest in the workplace, despite the strict laws in place to protect workers," said Breda Dooley of Matrix Recruitment.
"No one should have to put up with any sort of discriminatory behaviour and we encourage victims to address the problem with a manager or trusted colleague," Ms Dooley said.
The fifth Matrix Workplace Equality Survey was conducted online in November 2022 among 2,741 adults working across a broad range of industries, sectors and regions.
