Hostile Workplace

Are You Working In A Hostile Workplace?

Warlike; inimical; unfriendly; antagonistic; opposed; adverse; opposite; contrary; repugnant.
-Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

It's ugly no matter how you look at it, but what defines "hostile" with respect to employment law and the workplace?

In the legal sense, it's when the person "stirring the pot", if you will, is creating an intimidating, offensive, abusive or hostile work environment through discriminatory workplace harassment toward one or more employees.  It is also illegal to retaliate against a worker for filing a discrimination claim.

While it sucks having a mean boss or bullying co-workers, the operative word there is "discriminatory".   Unfortunately, there is no Federal law that protects workers from a "hostile work environment" or a "hostile workplace" unless some type of discrimination has taken place with regards to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, or equal pay.  In addition, the hostility must be severe enough that a reasonable person would feel force to quit work.  Sadly, the company must collectively have 15 or more employees.

Still, hostile work environments can and do flourish without discrimination playing a part.  Gossip.  Rumor mongering.  Back-stabbing (the non-lethal kind).  Being the butt of jokes or being made fun of.  All hostile, yet not illegal. 

You may be reading this page because you or a co-worker is at the mercy of an abusive boss or co-worker and you want it to stop.  Even though there is no law against it, all hope is not lost.

You can fight back by becoming part a "protected class".  Being in a protected class means that your employer cannot fire you, or take other negative actions against you, because you are a member of your protected class.  Should your employer take action against you shortly after becoming part of a protected class, the court will presume that any discipline from your boss was done in retaliation.  There are multiple protected classes that the law recognizes.

It's easy becoming part of a protected class even when there is no discrimination involved.  In fact, your employer doesn't want you to know that and hopes you never find out.  You can legally and easily fight a hostile workplace with Work Laws Exposed.