Hostile Work Environment Definition
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Does Your Boss Harass You Like This?

September 24, 2008 By 3 Comments
bestbuyteam

One of the most frequently recurring patterns of conflict in the workplace is when a New Supervisor joins a department and ruins everything the senior employees liked about their jobs. Company Executives often assign the New Supervisor the task of “clearing out the dead wood” or “cleaning house.” Excited to have his or her first supervisory job, the New Supervisor charges into the task of “cleaning house” with all the delicate subtlety of a pro wrestler. Is the New Supervisor just doing their job, or buying into a company policy and practice of age discrimination toward older “dead wood” workers? True Story: A New Supervisor at Best Buy bought into the task of clearing out 54 year old Jolyn McDonald, big time. McDonald worked at Best Buy for 17 years before the New … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Age Discrimination, Bad Boss, Featured, Hostile Work Environment & Workplace Harassment
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Hostile Workplace Podcast #5: “I Don’t Know What FMLA Is, But I’m Sure YOU Don’t Qualify For It”

September 9, 2008 By 8 Comments

Download PDF Transcript Have you heard a supervisor admit they don't know about something with one breath, but then proceed to tell you what you should do about that thing in their next breath?  Listen to one of my readers, Vicki, tell her story dealing with that exact scenario. Once Vicki used FMLA, others at her work wanted to use FMLA leave too.  This angered her supervisors, who launched a campaign to "get" her. Listen to Podcast Episode #5 now to hear how Vicki has fared against her company's attack (and don't expect a nicey nice happy ending). You can listen to Podcast #5 through the player here on UndercoverLawyer.com. Or, if you have iTunes you can click on the link below to listen there and subscribe to the podcast for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Disability, Discrimination, Featured, FMLA Tagged With: Disability, Discrimination, FMLA, Podcast, Retaliation
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Discriminación Por Discapacidad, EEOC y Mediación

September 9, 2008 By Leave a Comment

!Hola! Bienvenidos al podcast episodio 5 del "Lugar de Trabajo Hostil". Bienvenidos de nuevo al podcast "Lugar de Trabajo Hostil", yo soy su anfitrión, el Abogado Encubierto. Este es el podcast de cada dos semanas donde Ud. podrá aprender cómo recuperar su vida en el lugar de trabajo. Pelear contra un jefe abusivo y terminar con los tratos abusivos en el trabajo. Si Ud. escucha este podcast regularmente, Ud. se convertirá en la persona más informada de su trabajo, y el conocimiento legal es poder. El episodio número cinco tiene  dos temas para Uds. Primero la entrevista con Vicki una oyente, quien ha pasado por muchas vicisitudes en su profesión. Específicamente discriminación por discapacidad, su demanda con EEOC y su experiencia con una mediación. Ud. se entretendrá y … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Discriminación Por Discapacidad Tagged With: Discriminación Por Discapacidad, EEOC, Mediación
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Tweeters Hate Working, Especially on Mondays

September 8, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Tracking comments on Twitter about work related topics has been like getting to see all the morning drive-time auto collisions, all across the country, all at once. People on Twitter like to gripe, and they like to gripe about work.  The following comments come from tracking the words "Hate work" over the last 48 hours, which includes the weekend!  You would think there would be less anger expressed toward one's job on the days most people are off work... but, maybe those who are forced to work weekends are especially vocal with their angry dismay over laboring away while their friends play (one Tweet said almost exactly that). Without further ado, here's the best of hating work from Twitter posts during the last 48 hours.  (If my readers find this "best of Twitter" concept … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Discrimination, Featured, Hostile Work Environment & Workplace Harassment Tagged With: hostile work environment, twitter
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The Dumb Money is Betting On Sunny Skies

September 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment

FRIDAY UPDATE: "The U.S. lost more jobs than forecast in August and the unemployment rate climbed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent, a sign that the economic slowdown is worsening." (Full Article). "Foreclosures accelerated to the fastest pace in almost three decades during the second quarter as interest rates increased and home values fell, prompting more Americans to walk away from homes they couldn't refinance or sell."  (Full Article). Betting on Sunny Skies? If you need a job in order to pay your bills, this isn't the best of times.  Today the federal Labor Department announced that unemployment claims increased more than the "experts" had expertly predicted.  Other cheerful facts about the state of the U.S. economy: Unemployment rolls are at a five-year high 3.4 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Claim Unemployment, Featured, Legal Strategies Tagged With: economy, unemployment
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Does Your Boss or Co-Worker Create Problems To Solve and Take Credit For the Solution?

September 1, 2008 By Leave a Comment
rumor

Many of the people who contact me for help with a stressful workplace are dealing with a new supervisor who is causing chaos in the employee's formerly peaceful workplace.  Why does a new supervisor feel the need to upset everything and everyone? To look good. That's right, to look good by fixing a big mess.  And don't think the supervisor will take responsibility for causing the big mess.  The employees who "can't accept new ideas" will get the blame. New supervisors are under a lot pressure to look good fast; they need to demonstrate that they deserved to be hired or promoted; they desperately want to show their own boss that he/she "made the right decision" in choosing who got the open management spot. A Wall Street Journal article touches on this scenario (the WSJ piece … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bad Boss, Featured Tagged With: Bad Boss, Bully Boss, Bully Co-worker, hostile work environment, job harassment, new supervisor