It's never fun to be bullied, but in the workplace it could even be illegal. Personnel Today reports that bullying at work has actually doubled in the past 10 years, where one out of three staff members surveyed with the Unison Survey stated that they had bullied at work within the past six months.
In some cases, bullying may fall under the category of harassment. If an employer engages in verbal conduct that is offensively based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation, then there is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Federal Communications Commission states that the federal law does not prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not linked to these categories. The conduct involved must be so objectively offensive as to alter the conditions of the individual's employment. However, FindLaw's Law and Daily Life Blog reports that certain states are now taking new initiatives to stop workplace bullying by creating new laws.
If an employee has completed at least one year of employment with a particular company, then that employee can resign and effectively claim that he or she was forced out of the job by unacceptable behavior, according to Personnel Today. If this is the case, the former employee may qualify for unemployment compensation since the former employee is not out of the job at his or her own fault. So while bullying in the workplace seems to be a problem nationwide, including Houston, employees still have legal rights and can contact a Houston employment lawyer when a questionable issue comes up.
Related Resources:
- Dealing with Discrimination: Tips for Employees (FindLaw)
- Discrimination and Harassment: Resources (FindLaw)
- Houston Employment Lawyer Directory (FindLaw)
