Examples of Hostile Work Environments in Tampa, FL

Hostile Work Environments in Florida

Sometimes, life can be challenging at work due to attitudes and moods, but when other coworkers and your boss act hostile towards you, your life is miserably challenging. No employee has the right to create a hostile work environment, especially the boss.

Often, employees have yet to grow up and mature to the point that they know how to lead employees in the way they should be taught. If your employer could be more transparent about what kind of work environment is hostile, many problems could be avoided.

Thus, other employees follow suit, picking and choosing who will be their next victim. Although they know that the boss will not write them up because the boss always acts hostile, it makes this behavior OK in the eyes of some employees.

This can make a few of the majority of excellent working employees become the next target of someone’s hostility. The victim feels like they are in a losing battle for peace and quiet at work.

What Constitutes a Hostile Work Environment in FL?

Employees often try to neglect any hostility they experience in the workplace because they brush off hostility as an everyday occurrence, and most individuals do not want to make waves.

Instead, you try hard to stay out of the person’s way and do your work as best as possible. However, you may tell yourself that hostile actions by another coworker or boss are status quo for that person; they know no better, so you tolerate their actions until you cannot tolerate them any longer.

The following could constitute a hostile workplace environment, but under the laws of the federal government and FL, these may not necessarily make the workplace environment hostile. These things are annoying, hated, uncalled for, and disturbing but not necessarily malicious legally.

  • A consistently rude employer or coworker causes hostility in the workplace.
  • A consistently turned-down promotion reaps hostility.
  • Failure to obtain a much-needed raise. For example, another coworker who does not fulfill their job obligations and is clearly not a dedicated worker gets the pay raise or promotion that was clearly yours. It is easy for you to become bitter. However, the employer is creating a hostile work environment.
  • The asking of an inappropriate question of you.
  • When the boss is constantly looking over your shoulder for no reason.
  • When someone constantly belittles you or calls you names.
  • When someone displays inappropriate advances or unacceptable behavior toward you.

So, what can be considered issues that create hostility in the workplace?

If your workplace causes you not to be able to fulfill the duties you were hired to do because of the behaviors of coworkers or employers, it can be considered a hostile work environment.

All the possible elements of the above examples only become hostile with a twist. For instance, does a coworker or boss constantly,

  • Tell you sexually explicit jokes.
  • Is someone relentless about sexual innuendos towards you?
  • Is someone making you feel grossly uncomfortable or fearful while you are at work?
  • Is pornography being constantly spread around the office or left on your desk?
  • Is a coworker or your boss constantly communicating to you inappropriate conversation regarding your religion, race, age, or gender?
  • An inappropriate joke told once is not illegal. However, inappropriate jokes told daily could contribute to workplace hostility. These constant jokes can be belittling, poking fun at you in ways that cause you mental anguish, and interfere with your job performance.

What one person believes is funny can deeply trouble the person the joke is meant for, which can interfere with that person’s work.

  • Are you a victim of bullying?

How Do You Handle Hostility in the Workplace?

If you fall victim to a hostile work environment, you should take a trusted coworker with you to address this behavior face-to-face with the person creating hostility. Never attempt to hide and use a recorder during a meeting, as recording someone without their knowledge is illegal. Document everything on paper after the meeting.

It is not correct if your boss consistently yells at all employees; however, it is different than yelling at only you all day. Be aware that their actions must stop once you address the problem with the person.

Give the hostile person time to digest what you said, and they must have adequate time to change their behavior. If they continue the aggressive actions, you must report these incidents to your boss and the Human Resources Department. Again, allow your boss and human resources time to react.

  • Most employers are helpful to those in hostile situations.
  • Most employers will not tolerate hostility in the workplace.
  • Most employers do not want other employees to feel uncomfortable because it interferes with job performance.

Please call us if you cannot do your job to its fullest because of someone’s actions and if you are continually fighting hostility in the workplace. We want to hear your story. But first, we must decide if you are a victim of a hostile work environment. If this is the case, we can help you stop these behaviors. This is your legal right.

We still see many clients who suffer from discrimination based on race, disability, religion, age, and gender. When these issues crop up, they cause workplace hostility and discrimination against you, which is illegal in any state, including Florida.

Understand that hostile actions must occur on a continued basis. One-time occurrences are not legal grounds for workplace hostility; they must be persistent.

You must prove that you reported your coworkers’ actions and made your employer aware. In addition, you must verify that your boss did nothing to stop the hostile environment.

Unfortunately, the victim must always bear the burden of proof, but we can help if you call us and tell us your story. Let us decide if you have a case against an inappropriate coworker or boss.

Never fight this battle without legal defense by your side. Once you accuse someone of creating a hostile work environment, that person (s) will hire an attorney to fight against you, and you will not win your case without legal representation.

The Victim Must Bear the Burden of Proof

The Federal and State Law is on Your Side Regarding Hostile Work Environments. A federal law was enacted in 1964 prohibiting certain conduct in work environments. Employers and other employees cannot discriminate against or harass anyone in the workplace under Florida law. No person can be discriminated against for their race, religion, age, gender, or nationality. The hostile person must,

  • Be considered abusive, cruel,
  • Interfere with someone’s job duties
  • The actions must cause you poor work output.
  • Cause a decrease in your quality of work.

No industry is exempt from workplace hostility. Unfortunately, these behaviors happen daily, all day, and in most jobs. Documentation is a big part of winning your case against harassment. We will go into the documentation process when we meet. We ask that you do a few things regarding a hostile workplace.

  • It is vital to document all you can, such as dates, times, comments made, and actions performed by the accused and yourself, the amount and severity of the hostile actions, meetings regarding your complaint, what was said, and the actions of others in the discussion.
  • Hostile work environment claims are filed every day. However, these claims demand solid proof of hostility. Your evidence must be substantial and unreputable.
  • A Florida court of law considers the frequency and severity of hostility.
  • You must show that you were the targeted victim.
  • You must ask the person to stop their actions.
  • You must file an internal complaint, as this is your right under federal law. Always be confident that you will not be fired, lose a bonus, or not get a raise.
  • Retaliation from a coworker or employer is illegal once you speak against a hostile person.
  • Have proof that your boss knew about the complaint.
  • Document witnesses in detail.
  • Be sure your workplace is under federal anti-discrimination laws. The criteria of this law say that there must be at least 15 employees for complaints of discrimination and at least 20 employees for age-based complaints.

Getting no relief from this harassment means it is time to seek our firm’s seasoned, experienced attorneys. We deal with hostile work environments in the state of Florida. We want to hear your story and the proof you have that you go to work every day and walk into a hostile work environment.

Call employment attorney Mitch Feldman for an initial free consultation; we will collect no fees until we win your case. The sooner you call us, the sooner you get to work in comfort and peace, which is the right of every employee. The following are on your side.

  • Our esteemed attorneys
  • Federal Laws
  • Title VII/Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • In 1969, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
  • Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

 

Comments 1

  1. Kim Mattson says:

    I don’t know who to go to. Supvsr berates, belittles, condescends me on a daily basis., Tells me I need to speak up, she can’t hear me, every day with a tone like.she speaks to no other. As we have communicated for 3 yrs. Tells me I need to speak, but me down, laughs at me, storms out on me, continually rides me ” what are you working on now? Comes in my office and straight behind my desk everyday. She is contributing to my fear of having me prove to her that I can still do this job She is putting my life/mind into a constant state of anxiety and panic,
    which is unbareable treatment of me that I dont deserve, most times infront of several co-workers
    Leaves me emotional and says ‘quit the phony tears?” “Why are you crying?” “I am done dealing with this, it is draining” – laughing at me. Despite my being at this job many years. I had applied for the position, after working under my prior boss, I tried, but wasn’t even patronized with an interview, or thanked for applying, unlike the Company states in its creedo. Having to train your supvs, then be belittled, berated daily, (especially since I took FMLA) Wellbeing. Do I mention being told by the “A boss”, we will always, years had “secret friendship,” Literally since I had been there 6mo- a year. A friendship that only I could (and a few others invited to her house for holiday party) would know about, not to mention the gifts, cash Now, seems to be routing against me. Despite being told by other A and Spvsr is routing for me. Telling perforrmance. 2021 Satisfactories/Exceeds 2022 all but 2 unsatisfactory/needs improvements. I have to check records if this was b4 or after I told her when I was speaking to her that I FELT bullied
    This caused a huge attitude toward me since as well. I was bei g truthful. But fearfully was apologizing as she was headed toward A’s office. I can be suspended with no pay contingent upon investigation. A is not there enough to see/hear and already knows because I have begged that things change, how ‘supervisor’ treats me and A has told me to report to HR, A doesn’t want to hear it anymore. WARN ME for allowing interruptions, be the ones who continually ask me to do other things then I get told I can’t handle job of 3 ppl w/o overtime. OTHERS get tons of overtime, I get Supvsr waiting saying “come on, let’s go.” I have lost everything I used to be there.
    I have so much more. I don’t know where to begin. Or of if should

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