Maryland Hostile Work Environment Attorney

Gaithersburg Workplace Harassment Attorney

A hostile workplace might be created by any number of actions and is defined by severe or pervasive unwelcome conduct by a co-worker, manager or supervisor, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer, that unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance. These situations must be addressed aggressively and immediately by an experienced Maryland hostile work environment lawyer.

At the law office of Kathlynne Ramirez, Esq. LLC, we strive to both help and educate our clients while working to protect their best interests. Unfortunately, while it may seem harsh, not all difficult work situations will have legal ramifications.

There are many criteria that must be examined, including:

• Employees must reasonably believe that tolerating this unwelcome conduct is a condition of continued employment.
• The unwelcome conduct must be severe or pervasive.
• Harassment must be caused by discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, gender.

The factors of severity and pervasiveness should be discussed in a bit more detail.

• Severity: The severity of an action can also define a hostile workplace. If African-American employees are subjected nooses referencing lynchings in America's past, or a desk covered with racially-offensive symbols, that employee is suffering from severe unwelcome conduct.
• Pervasive: An action is pervasive if it happens frequently. An African-American employee who is regularly subjected to racial slurs and jokes, or a female employee who is consistently subjected to jokes about women in the workplace is suffering through a pervasive hostile work environment.

These two factors exist as a sort of sliding scale. The example about the noose does not have to be a pervasive action, but it is severe enough to warrant a hostile work environment determination. We encourage you to contact our office as soon as you feel you are being subjected to unwelcome conduct that is unreasonably interfering with your performance in the workplace.

It's also important to point out the difference between a hostile work environment, which is ongoing treatment, and specific acts of discrimination such as demotion or scheduling inequities. You have a limited amount of time to file a complaint in these situations. Contact our firm to learn more about your rights and how we can help to protect you.

Contact Our Firm

If you feel you are working in a hostile work environment, contact the law office of Kathlynne Ramirez, Esq. LLC in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Our office hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and PayPal as payment.

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• Hostile Work Environment
• Wrongful Termination
• Gender Discrimination
• Race, Color & National Origin Discrimination
• Family and Medical Leave Rights
• Disability Discrimination
• Retaliation
• Noncompete & Employment Contracts
• H-1B (Immigration Employment)