Hostile Work Environment and Employee Rights Litigation for Clients in Long Beach, California
What is a Hostile Work Environment?
A hostile work environment exists when an employee is subjected to unwelcome, inappropriate, hostile, intimidating, or offensive conduct. Are you constantly the target of mistreatment in the workplace? Has your mistreatment become severe and pervasive enough to prevent you from being able to do your job? Do you fear for your physical, emotional, and mental safety? Have you found yourself not wanting to go to work? You might be the victim of a hostile work environment. Instead of continuing to allow the hostile work environment to grow, you must exercise your rights as an employee and take action against your employer as soon as possible.
If you would like to learn more about your right to file a Hostile Work Environment lawsuit against your employer, do not hesitate to contact our law firm as soon as possible to discuss your claim with our attorneys.
Anti-Discrimination Laws and Hostile Work Environments
To better understand hostile work environments, you must first understand anti-discrimination laws on the federal and state levels. Federal law – specifically Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (and amendments to this act) – protect employees from discrimination based on race, color, age, origin, religion, sex, disability, citizenship status, and genetic information, for example. California law – specifically the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) offers additional protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, political affiliations, AIDS/HIV (and other medical conditions), military/veteran status, and status of victims of domestic violence, for example. If any of your personal characteristics are protected under federal and state law and your employer subjected to severe and pervasive treatment that has affected your ability to do your job due to mental, emotional, and physical distress, you are likely the victim of a hostile work environment – and you should take action against your employer as soon as possible.
What Can You Do?
Your workplace is a hostile work environment. Must you just accept the hostility? Do you have the right to take action against your employer for creating and subjecting you to a hostile work environment? Without a doubt, you have the right to do something against your employer. Unfortunately, it is common for employees to fail to act simply due to a lack of information – do not continue allowing your employer to mistreat you.
To discuss your Hostile Work Environment case, do not hesitate to contact our law firm as soon as possible.
Consider your options:
- You can file a complaint of the hostile work environment with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The laws enforced by the EEOC apply to employers with 15 or more employees. If you want to file a complaint against your employer through the EEOC, you will have 300 days to file your claim; if you fail to file your claim on time, you will lose the right to take action against your employer
- You can file a complaint of the hostile work environment with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The state laws enforced by the DFEH apply to employers with 5 or more employees. If you want to file a complaint against your employer through the DFEH, you will have 1 year to file your claim; if you fail to file your claim on time, you will lose your right to take action against your employer.
- You have the right to file a civil lawsuit against your employer for a hostile work environment. You must first be granted the right to sue from the EEOC or DFEH. Claims originating from the EEOC must be filed within 90 days in civil court. Claims originating from the DFEH must be filed within 1 year in civil court.
If you would like to learn more about holding your employer accountable for the hostile work environment in which you were forced to work, do not hesitate to contact the employment experts at Long Beach Labor Attorney Group today.
How to Know If You Have a Hostile Work Environment
Related Links:
Long Beach Disability Discrimination Attorneys
Long Beach Sexual Harassment Lawyers
Long Beach Wage and Hour Attorneys
Long Beach Wrongful Termination Lawyers