Unlawful discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favorably than another person or group because of characteristics such as:
• Race, colour, national or ethnic origin
• Sex
• Age
• Disability
• Pregnancy status
• Marital status
• Religion
• Sexual preference
• Trade union activity.

Workplace discrimination can occur when:
• Recruiting and selecting staff
• Offering terms, conditions and benefits of employment
• Deciding who receives training and what sort of training is offered
• Selecting staff for transfer, promotion, retrenchment or dismissal.

Bullying is a form of violence that can occur in the workplace. Bullying includes any behaviour that intimidates, offends, degrades or humiliates another person.

Workplace violence is conflict escalated to the point of physical, emotional or psychological attack. It includes threats, insults, racial abuse, sexual harassment or physical contact such as pushing or punching. The attack may come from anybody in the workplace, including an employer, co-worker, customer or service user.

Responses to retirement depend on the reason for leaving the workforce. For example, a person who planned for their retirement is more likely to feel positive about it, while a person forced into early retirement due to redundancy or illness may find it harder to cope.

Job loss, retrenchment and unexpected unemployment can cause hardship and distress that may lead to health problems. It is normal to experience a range of reactions, which may include shock, anger, guilt and a sense of powerlessness. Over time, the build-up of financial pressures, feelings of failure or being undervalued, and the emotional exhaustion of prolonged job hunting can lead to stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue.