hostile work environment
I have worked for a contractor for the government for 5 years now. My immediate boss is rather difficult to work for and has been worse over the past 3 years once I became management. I was promoted to a manager 3 years ago and some of my peers were very unsupportive and down right rude to me at times. When I reported this, I was told to hold my own and things would change. Nothing changed and eventually I changed jobs in the department so no one reported to me. For about 2 years my life was a living hell due to the employees who did report to me being allowed to do whatever they wished and I was not allowed to manage. I have hundreds of emails to support this activity. Other managers that took over after me also experienced the same issues. Not only is this a hostile work environment, due to my boss's lack of being able to confront anyone other than myself, but her present administrative assistant is allowed to run the department, she gets away with rudeness and insubbordination against all managers. I gave my boss documentation regarding other employees who were falsely recording their time, which for a government contractor, is a serious offense. Instead of doing something about this, she took me to Human Resources and threatened, if I didn't stop watching others, I'd be written up. I find this very offensive and wrong. There are too many offenses to write down but I also have 2 documents where she said the "F" word to me and yelled at me. I'm a very non-confrontational person also, so I've endured this hell for too long. I've been seeing a counselor, it's affected my health and my marriage. I am not a quitter and I work very hard. My many hours of unpaid overtime can prove that.
I was also told by my boss when I brought up the other offenders to print out my email and take it to my counselor as I needed help. My counselor thinks my boss needs help, not me. Do you think I should consult an attorney? I don't want to lose my job but would like things to change because no one knows what she does because she is highly regarded by the CEO and many board members. She can fool the best of them but she is definitely not a good manager of people.
Answers (1)
You seem to have confused workplace hostility with the concept of "hostile work environment." This is a common misconception. The term "hostile work environment" does not mean people in the workplace being mean to you. It refers to a particular type of unlawful discrimination, one in which the employer allows an environment to exist in which unwanted conduct of a sexual, racial, religious or otherwise unlawfully discriminatory nature pervades the workplace. The only law that prohibits employees from being hostile to managers on account of their position is the law of supply and demand, i.e. employees can be fired for insubordination or misconduct. But employees in the private sector have the right to engage in protected concerted activity (joining together in voicing grievances to management regarding the terms and conditions of employment). Drawing the line between protected concerted activity and insubordination or misconduct is often difficult and fraught with risk for managers eager to punish those who speak out. To put it simply, when your employees complain about you, they are protected from retaliation. When you complain about them, you are not. Welcome to the ranks of management.
Your complaints about people falsifying time records falls into the category of "whistleblowing." But you haven't been fired, and in general the only legal remedies for whistleblowers are in the area of wrongful discharge claims.
Your counselor may be right about your boss needing help, but the law doesn't provide you with a remedy for an ineffective boss with poor people skills.
posted by Francis Fanning | Jan 7, 2004 2:35 PM [EST]
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