Under state and federal employment laws, an employee can sue an employer for a hostile work environment. You may be a victim of a hostile work environment if a co-worker, boss, supervisor, or client has crossed the line into bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, or crimes against you, such as physical assault, that make you feel unsafe at work. A hostile work environment law in California is a common ground for employment lawsuits. Speak to an employment law attorney in Los Angeles for more information.
What Is Considered A Hostile Work Environment?
A hostile work environment is created when an employee is subjected to unwelcome conduct that creates a hostile, offensive or intimidating workplace for a reasonable person, based on that employee’s membership in one of these classes protected.
Conduct must be severe or pervasive in order to create a hostile work environment. If the conduct is harsh enough, even a single instance can be enough to create a hostile work environment. However, even relatively minor behavior that continues for a while can create a problem widespread enough to create a hostile work environment. A hostile work environment is a common cause of sexual harassment complaints.
What to do if you work in a Hostile Work Environment
One of the first steps you can take is to follow the procedures outlined by your company in the employee handbook. This gives your employer the opportunity to resolve the issue and take appropriate action.
You can also file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on their website for complaints protected under federal law. You can file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Jobs and Housing. These organizations exist to protect employees from discrimination and having to continue to endure a hostile work environment. By speaking up, you are not only protecting your own rights, but you are helping to protect others from the same hostility you have encountered.
In most cases, it’s a good idea to contact a harassment attorney for a free consultation. Although it’s illegal for a company to retaliate against employees who report a hostile work environment, you may run into trouble after bringing the issue to your employer’s attention. A lawyer can advise you on how to protect your rights during this process. A lawyer can also help you complete complaint forms, ensure they are filed by the deadline, and give you valuable advice on how to proceed.
Contact a California Employment Lawyer
Even if you do not believe that your discrimination was based on your membership in a protected class, you may not have all the information necessary to determine this. In many cases, others who have faced similar hostility fail to talk about the problem. It could be that a hostility model based on your class appears after you begin the process of finding the fix for the issue. You have the right to have a workplace free from hostility and the right to speak up and act in the face of a hostile workplace.
