A hostile work environment is one thing you don’t need to put up with at work. You have the right to be treated equally and with respect in the workplace; your workplace should be safe, productive and secure. If you feel endangered at work, then your employer isn’t holding up his end of the deal, and you may be able to make him be held liable for the damages and stress he’s caused you.
Hostile work environments include any environments that are so bad that no employee can reasonably perform his or her work due to hostile behavior from other employees or supervisors. In California, the law is on your side, and if your workplace has become toxic, you don’t need to continue to put up with it.
Some examples of things that could be considered hostile include sexual harassment from your supervisors or coworkers, acts or remarks that discriminate against you, (this includes discrimination for age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion and other factors), and retaliatory actions. Hostility that threatens your physical safety is also unacceptable.
If this kind of hostility is taking place in your workplace, it’s not likely to be the only thing happening that is illegal or against regulations. It’s important to make sure you file your lawsuit and report these happenings as soon as you can. No one should have to go through what you’ve been through.
To learn more about your rights as a worker in California and to find out what steps you should take if you want to move forward with a lawsuit against your employer, you should take a look at our sexual harassment webpage. You have rights, and you can work to enforce them.