Possible Workplace Harassment... Advice Please...
Q: I'm not certain if my issue qualifies as workplace harassment,
so I thought I would seek advice in this venue
i seek advice on whether in corporate America this even
qualifies as harassment. Loopholes abound and management tends to
circle the wagons when a claim is brought. Is he going too far? If the
Human Resources Director backs him up when I speak with him, is the
company then going too far? If I am terminated or ostracized because I
speak up, is there any legal recourse? I am perfectly willing to speak
with a real lawyer, but want to be sure there's a reason to.
A: For harassment to be actionable, it has to be founded in one of the kinds of unlawful discrimination. For example, if you were being harassed because you were black, that would be unlawful. In some places, anti-gay discrimination is illegal, but I doubt it is in Alabama. Generally, employees may be fired, even for bad reasons, as long as the reason isn't unlawful. Absent a contract to the contrary, there isn't much the employee can do. To be safe,