What constitutes a hostile work environment?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What constitutes a hostile work environment?
My employer, a state agency, recently called me into HR to tell me that a news reporter had complained about me and that it was looking potentially serious. I was told that they would be investigating and would get back with me but wouldn’t give me a timeline, only that they hoped it would be before the weekend. This issue stems from an issue that was poorly handled in the state capitol in which I was forced to do multiple things that I disagreed with. As a communications professional, it is my job to work with the public to answer their questions. During this issue, I was given little information to work from concerning a major highway closure. This issue created a public movement and later the decision to close was forced to be reversed by the governor’s office. After that I was told not to make public comment until there was a statement. Meanwhile, the information leaked and I was bombarded with questions from the public and the media. I wasn’t allowed to say anything and one interaction with a media outlet, in which the reporter i talked to complained that I was
Asked on February 1, 2019 under Employment Labor Law, Indiana
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
A claim of a hostile work enviornment is not applicable here. In order for that, there would have had to have been some form of legally actionable discrimination invovlved. In other words, your treatment would have to have been due to your race, religion, gender, nationality, age (over 40), or disability. Accordingly, you have no claim here. However, you may have recourse for breach of contract if your treatment violates the terms of any applicable union or employment agreement.
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
A claim of a hostile work enviornment is not applicable here. In order for that, there would have had to have been some form of legally actionable discrimination invovlved. In other words, your treatment would have to have been due to your race, religion, gender, nationality, age (over 40), or disability. Accordingly, you have no claim here. However, you may have recourse for breach of contract if your treatment violates the terms of any applicable union or employment agreement.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.