Misconceptions of Hositle Work Environment
I like to talk a little bit about misconceptions of employment law, and specifically, the misconception of hostile work environment. Under Texas law we are an employment at will state, but there are some narrow exceptions to the employment at will, such as: race, religion, national origin, sex, which includes sexual harassment. If there is a hostile work environment caused by one of those subsections, then that is an actionable hostile work environment. But generally, if you have a hostile work environment, that means your boss is mean to you or a co-worker is trying to destroy you, and it does not relate to the narrow exceptions to the employment at will, which would make it a case that we cannot handle. That is a case that is not actionable under Texas law. So, when people call me and say I am involved in a hostile work environment, usually it’s because of a mean manager or a mean co-worker, and not because of the protected classes. That is the misconception of hostile work environment. If you are involved in a hostile work environment and want to know your rights, then call me for your free consultation.
