What are my legal rights regarding bullying in the workplace?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What are my legal rights regarding bullying in the workplace?
My employer is requiring my department to attend team building counseling due to conflicts that occur due to one individual I label as a bully. If this counseling fails and I continue to have issues with this individual, can the employer withhold raises or even fire me? The current chief operating officer has told us that he has zero tolerance for the current situation. I feel that it is unfair to punish the department instead of addressing the bully.
Asked on February 1, 2018 under Employment Labor Law, Massachusetts
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
Workplace harrassment has to do with hostiity caused a worker due to their age (over 40), disability, gender, nationality, disability, race, religion. And you did not indicate this to be the case. The fact is that unless your treatment violates the terms of a union agreemnt or employment contract, it is legal. Further, a company can discipline a worker (up to and including withholding raises or termination), for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice.
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.