Employment Law Information

A Reader Asks This Question:

I was recently empleyed at a local men’s club under the role of entertainer. Soon after being employed I began to face stress due to a number of rumors being spread throughout the workplace, the most damaging of them regarding my mental health. While it is in my nature to ignore the rumors, after being verbally insulted by the clubs dj’s during work hours (with customers) I had begun to debate whether I was letting things go too far. Still I chose to let it go, on the grounds that my job performance was improving and the belief that due to the fast-pace and nature of the environment most grudges don’t last too long. I had also chosen to take the ignore it approach when pressured throughout the weeks to pursue a relationship/sexual favors with a manager. Originally I did not consider this a “bad” option, but rather one that did not adhere to my personal values, workplace needs, and lifestyle. I knew the probability for conflict with the manager was high, simply because I was beginning to strengthen my focus on my job performance, something the manager was interested in improving himself. As my job performance improved, certain aspects of my work environment grew more hostile. Another stripper let slip that she knew they were basically trying to get me fired. Sometime during the week of June 27th, perhaps a thursday or friday, I came into work with a new hairstyle. Despite earning more money I was told by my managers that the hair was too wild and to tame it either with bowties or hairgel. Because of the kinky texture of the hair I wondered if there might be some element of racism behind the complaint but decided it wasn’t. I tied it back, but because it was a new hairpiece I was reluctant to tie it tight. It untied during the night, and I left it so. The next thing I remember hearing about it was on a very busy Saturday during a performance to tie it back. Because I was so busy, and doing better at my job I figured it was no big deal and just went on with work. That night, I suppose my manager had gotten fed up with the fact that I had avoided his advances for so long, made some verbal threats about “holding a pistol to my head”. Once again I was also verbally insulted in front of a live audience by a dj (racial remarks, taunts such as “squirrel hair”). Some of the customers even looked at me strangely but I just kept working. On Wednesday June 30th, I returned to work. At this point I hard started to question how strong my willpower was on the manager. Apparently he had made his desire known to some of the other employees and frequent customers and I had started to feel the pressure of his advances. Still I decided that this had probably happened before and that there would soon be some other “newbie” to occupy his attention. Eventually, I figured, they’d just get used to the fact that I don’t talk much and don’t welcome certain aspects of the business. So it came as a big surprise to me when I was called into the office by said manager and told that I had to be let go because my hair was too wild. I voiced my concern and told him that the hair was a wig, it could be easily switched, something I was planning to do the next day. His only reply was that it was “too late” and “too wild”. I left the office and soon the manager followed me out and began to voice his opinions on me, claiming that I was “crazy” but he admired my self-control. Quite a paradox. Once again, verbal threats of a pistol being held to my head are made. At this point, I’m fairly frightened simply because you never know what people may do. He approaches the group of people waiting for a taxi cab and makes several jokes then kind of gestures to me like “well, don’t you have anything to say for yourself”. At this point I’m completely fed up with all the things I’ve faced in this workplace and decide that I am in the right, and it’s not worth it to beg for my job back. I’ve seen two girls physically fight only to have one of them return the next day and continue work to this day. I’ve seen sexual favors performed in vip sections, complaints issued and nothing change. I’ve heard stories of drugs being used openly. And I’m fired supposedly, over a hairpiece? What are my rights and courses of action regarding this case?

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