A person’s work environment can greatly affect how much he or she enjoys going to work. If you consider your co-workers as your friends and get along well with your boss, you likely enjoy going to work as much as the next person. On the other hand, if your employer and co-workers treat you in demeaning ways and make the work environment one of hostility, you may dread having to get up in the morning to go to work.
Unfortunately, many actions from the people you work with could create hostility. You may even feel as if you have to accept the negative behaviors due to the risk of even more hardships coming your way in the workplace.
Bullying and intimidation
If your employer or co-workers bully you, you may feel a great deal of stress. You may hope that keeping your head down and focusing on your work-related tasks will help you avoid the mistreatment, but in many cases, bullies seek out victims no matter what. As a result, try as you might, you may still end up in situations where you feel anxious and even depressed about your work life.
You likely want to report the wrongdoing that you face, but your employer may be one of the people mistreating you. As a result, you probably think that filing a complaint will not do you much good. Your employer may even intimidate you into staying quiet with threats of termination or other forms of retaliation.
You do not have to suffer
If your place of employment has an employee handbook, go over the information to determine whether any policies exist for reporting harassment, bullying and intimidation in the workplace. If so, follow those policies to file your complaint. In the event that your complaint is ignored or you face retaliation for complaining, you still have options to consider.
Workplace harassment and discrimination are violations of the law, and the bullying and intimidation you face could fall into one or both of these categories. In order to fully understand whether your ordeal could warrant legal action, you may wish to obtain an assessment of your specific circumstances from an experienced employment law attorney. Federal and Florida state laws could come into play, and speaking with someone who understands your rights and options may prove beneficial to you.
