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By Brandon J. Gibson, Esq., Head of the Employment Law Division, RTRLAW
Ideally, each of us would wake up every day and enjoy going to work. We would revel in the camaraderie of our co-workers and be encouraged by the support of our supervisors. Unfortunately, many people work in, or have worked in, an unpleasant environment.
From irritating co-workers and overly demanding supervisors who appear to be nitpicking and trying to manage you out, to “locker-room” type environments, where you may be subjected to crass language and teasing, the behavior of those around us greatly affects our jobs. Often these outside occurrences amount to mere annoyances or inconveniences, but sometimes they can become so pervasive that you don’t know what you are going to do; you just want to throw up your hands and quit. So, what are your options?
Before we talk about legal options, the most important thing to remember is that your decision impacts your life and the lives of those around you. The reality is that most of us have responsibilities, be it family, a mortgage, car loan or any of the multitude of bills that comes with adulthood. Unless you have money saved to meet your obligations, it may not make sense to simply resign out of frustration until you have another job lined up. Additionally, in Florida, as in other states, you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits if you voluntarily resign from your job.
If resigning is not an option, many people look to the law to see if they have any recourse. One question you need to ask: Is the harassment that I’m receiving at work illegal? That answer depends on the facts of your particular case. Only harassment based on certain protected classifications is prohibited.
Federal law prohibits harassment based on the following grounds ... READ MORE
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