Is cursing at a co-worker considered workplace violence?
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Is cursing at a co-worker considered workplace violence?
A co-worker has been extremely rude to me for 5 years. She rolled her eyes
at me for asking a question so I said,
Asked on September 19, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, Virginia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
No, legally, cursing at someone is not violence: in the law, words are not assault and are not criminal (with some very narrow and fairly obvious exceptions--for example, a threat of violence is criminal).
However, an employer is free to set out its own definitions of what is or is not acceptable behavior at work, and can discipline, or even fire, someone for cursing at work. An employer can even call cursing at work workplace violence if it likes--that definition has no bearing or legal standing anywhere else or for any other purposes than discipline at that one employer, but because employers do set the rules for employment, would be valid there.
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