We hear a lot about "protected groups," but what does this mean? To state it simply, a supervisor or manager cannot consider certain characteristics or activities under federal, state, or local law with regard to any employment decision, policy, or practice. For example, a retail store could not reject an applicant with hair loss due to chemotherapy for fear that customers would not be comfortable working with her. While an exhaustive list of all protected groups is beyond the scope of this article, the most common are discussed below, and they generally apply to job applicants and existing employees alike.

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