Missouri Discrimination in Employment is the illegal practice of treating an employee or job applicant unfavorably because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is a form of workplace discrimination that is prohibited under both federal and state laws. The two main types of Missouri Discrimination in Employment are direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination is when an employer makes a decision based solely on a protected characteristic, such as race or gender. Indirect discrimination occurs when a seemingly neutral policy, practice, or procedure has a disproportionately negative impact on certain individuals because of one of their protected characteristics. Both federal and Missouri state laws prohibit employers from making any decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, promotions, wages, benefits, discipline, or termination based on any protected characteristic. Employers are also prohibited from creating a hostile work environment by engaging in discriminatory behavior, such as making derogatory remarks or jokes about an employee's protected characteristics or refusing to hire or promote qualified individuals because of their protected characteristics.