Workplace Bullying Law in Florida For Employees

Workplace bullying is a common problem in Florida. There are many reasons that bullying might go on in the workplace, and ultimately, your employer is responsible for maintaining a culture of respect and appropriate behavior at work. When this expectation is not met, or when an employer does not respond properly to a situation that involves bullying, legal action might need to be taken against the employer to address the problem.

If you have been the victim of bullying in the workplace in Florida, you need to reach out to the team at Lopez Law today. We have years of experience working on these kinds of cases, and we can represent you as you seek redress for the bullying situation at your place of employment. No one should have to go to work in a toxic workplace environment, and we can help.

What is Workplace Bullying?

Workplace bullying happens when there is a pattern of consistent, hostile behavior that takes place toward an employee. This can include many factors, such as:

•         Intimidation
•         Threats
•         Name-calling
•         Humiliation
•         Targeting
•         Verbal abuse
•         Physical abuse
•         Telling offensive jokes
•         Using profanity
•         Racial slurs
•         Offensive language
•         Criticism of your work
•         Constant changes to deadlines and work expectations
•         Belittling an employee in front of others

None of these actions should be tolerated in the workplace, yet many Florida employers refuse to address these issues in an acceptable manner. This kind of behavior should be included in the various ways that employees can be placed on disciplinary action pending release from employment, and yet many bullies are allowed to continue to harass other workers without being held accountable for their behavior.

This kind of activity in a workplace can lead to low morale and to people quitting in order to escape the toxic nature of the work environment. However, there are laws that are set out by the EEOC which forbid this kind of behavior. This means that you can choose to take legal action against your employer for workplace bullying that has not been addressed.

Bullying in the workplace is bad for everyone, and the impact of these behaviors on employees is the same whether management or another employee is responsible for the actions being taken that are inappropriate. The fact that this kind of behavior is so common in the American workforce is a sad commentary on the way that employers tend to handle these kinds of behaviors when they crop up.

In fact, many people are not totally aware that they are being bullied at work until they start to dread coming to work or they feel stressed about the thought of being at their job. Physical reactions can also occur, including increased blood pressure, heart problems, and anxiety attacks. These kinds of responses are not unusual when it comes to workplace bullying, and you should be aware that these symptoms can be a sign that you are actually being treated improperly at work.

Emotional distress can have a very real impact on your health and your ability to work. You should never be held accountable for workplace errors or a lack of workplace performance surrounding issues that are not being addressed in the workplace. Bullying is one of the key reasons that people leave jobs each year, but you should not ever feel that you have to exit your place of employment due to a lack of response from the employer who hired you to real issues that need to be corrected.

Who Can Be Held Accountable For Bullying At Work?

If you have been the victim of these kinds of bullying actions at work, you might think that not everyone can be held accountable for these kinds of actions. However, this is not the case. No matter who is doing the bullying, these actions are not allowed by law. Your boss or your coworker who does the same job as you do can both be held accountable for workplace bullying.

You should not be afraid to report these kinds of actions to your employer either. There are laws that prevent your employer from retaliating if you report issues related to bullying to HR. These laws are in place to protect workers from being dismissed or fired just because someone is bullying them and they have reported it. Being a part of a protected class is not essential either when it comes to workplace bullying cases.

You will need to see to hold the parties bullying you accountable by reaching out to the human resources department at your place of employment, no matter who on the staff is bullying you. If the HR department does not take action to alleviate the issue, this is when it is time to seek legal counsel. There is no excuse for an HR team to avoid addressing this kind of issue and seeking to create a more positive workplace environment.

One of the problems to do with workplace bullying is that there are no specific laws that forbid this behavior in the workplace. However, there are laws about bullying and abusing protected classes of people. This is where the EEOC comes in. A skilled lawyer will know how to address this issue with the backing of legal precedent despite the fact that Florida law does not specifically call out bullying as being illegal. Common sense shows that these kinds of actions should not be allowed, but there does need to be a legal precedent to follow to build a case.

What Can I Do to Stop Being Bullied in the Workplace?

The first step that you must take when you are being bullied in the workplace is collecting documentation and proof of the interactions. You can record your memory of the events or save emails and actual documents that are related to the activities of the bully. Once you have these documents in hand, you will want to go to your HR department and report the person for bullying.

The HR team should advise you of the process that will be done to investigate the situation. They should set basic expectations about when you will hear back about the outcome of the investigation as well. If you are unable to find out any more information from the HR team after the expected investigation period has elapsed, or if there are continuing issues and you have not gotten any word that there has been any movement on your report, it is time to reach out to a lawyer.

The team at Lopez Law Group can take a look at the evidence that you have collected about the bullying problem. We will then take the time to do our own investigation into the situation. Once we have gathered the facts that we need, we will be able to move on to taking legal steps toward a remedy for the issue.

Working With a Skilled Lawyer Makes a Difference

These kinds of cases can be hard to prove if you work with a lawyer who does not have experience in these cases. We have years of experience working on workplace bullying cases, and we know how to undertake an effective investigation into your case. We will be able to collect the information necessary to discuss the problem with your employer and seek settlement or other forms of resolution to your bullying situation.

If you have been fired by your employer due to retaliation, we will be able to seek redress for this offense as well. These kinds of actions should not be taken against those reporting workplace issues, and the business will need to be held accountable for this kind of action as well. We work hard on these kinds of cases to make sure that our clients get the proper outcome for their workplace bullying cases. You should be able to work every day with the assurance that you will be treated with respect.

The Team at Lopez Law Group Can Help

If you are struggling with workplace bullying, you need to make sure that you have the skilled legal representation necessary to address the situation at your place of employment. If you have followed all the correct channels to report the bullying that you are experiencing at work, and there has been no response and no change in the actions taken against you, we can help. We will investigate the case and make sure that you get the support that you need.

Whether you are seeking to retain your job or you are looking for the issues at your place of work to be addressed and improved regardless of your plans to remain employed at the location, we can help. We have years of experience working on these kinds of cases and can assist you in resolving this kind of issue at your place of employment.

Reach out to us today if you are ready to take action against the workplace bullying that you have been experiencing. The team at Lopez Law Group will be happy to schedule a consultation so that we can represent you.

See also:

• WHISTLEBLOWER LAW IN FLORIDA FOR EMPLOYEES
• WORKPLACE BULLYING LAW IN FLORIDA FOR EMPLOYEES