Boston Employment Lawyer Blog
Do you dread going to work in the morning? Are you constantly afraid of being yelled at or otherwise victimized by a superior or a coworker? Are you being singled out due to things you cannot change, such as your race, ethnicity, gender or age? Have you been targeted because of your religion, or a disability? Any one of these situations can amount to a hostile work environment, which is unacceptable in the modern workplace.
If you have documented proof of a hostile work environment that is causing you undue stress, pain or suffering, and attempts to resolve the issue through human resources or other means has made no difference, you may wish to consult with an experienced attorney from Altman & Altman LLP. We are well versed in cases involving hostile work conditions in and around the Greater Boston Area.
What makes a hostile work condition?
Work can be downright unpleasant for many different reasons. However not all of these reasons constitute a hostile work environment. The difference between an unpleasant workplace and a hostile workplace is whether or not you (or even somebody else) is being personally harassed, and whether or not this activity affects your ability to perform your work duties.
Harassment includes a long list of discriminatory behavior. Harassment can be physical – in the form of sexual harassment involving touching, cornering or assaulting – it can be verbal in the form of unrelenting, personal insults and it can even be psychological, such as a superior threatening to fire you if you don’t perform tasks not outlined in your job description or expected of other employees.
Any time harassment targets certain aspects of your person – such as anything to do with your race, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability – this is a federal crime and, if it significantly impacts your ability to perform your work duties, is a textbook example of hostile work conditions.
The harassment may not even necessarily have to happen to you in order for a workplace to become hostile. Hostile practices can make the workplace uncomfortable to work in and make any employee feel unsafe or dreadful of showing up to work – even if the hostile actions are occurring to somebody else.
Harassment can be overt and it can be subtle. Regardless of the type of behavior that is causing you undue stress, our lawyers are well-versed in hostile work environment statutes and have advocated on behalf of our clients for over 40 years.
What can I do about a hostile work environment?
As alluded to before, many hostile work conditions can be remedied through human resources or even by talking to your superior or coworkers and informing them that their actions are causing you concern. Sometimes this is more than enough to make an issue stop, and other times an investigation will be launched to assess the truth.
Other times, the only way to ensure that hostilities cease is by bringing action against the offending individual. If you are experiencing hostile work conditions and you wish to file a claim against the perpetrator, keep a journal that catalogues all hostile activity, and save any paper trail that proves evidence of harassment (such as sexually explicit emails or threatening text messages). These will help strengthen your case.
You will also need the help of attorneys who have experience handling cases regarding hostile working conditions. At Altman & Altman LLP, we have over 40 years of experience handling a wide range of such cases, and have the knowledge and expertise to help anybody dealing with a hostile workplace anywhere in the Boston area, or in Massachusetts in general.
Do not be victimized or made uncomfortable by a hostile work environment any longer, call our office for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today by calling 617-492-3000, or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7 to listen and help.
