Hostile Work Enviornment
This is for the lay readers out there in the blogosphere. I often get calls from potential clients who want to sue their employer for a "hostile work enviornment". When I question them further it usually turns out that their supervisor is a real jerk and is creating a hostile work enviorment. Unfortunately, I have to tell them that I cannot help. The term "hostile work enviornment" has been tossed around in the public without an important qualifier. That is, a cause of action exists only if the enviorment is hostile and the hostility is directed at a member of a protected class because the person is a member of that protected class. Protected classes are classes based on race, religion, gender and so forth. Basically it is a cause of action based on discrimination. Perhaps some day they will come up with a cause of action aimed solely at bosses that are jerks -- we could call it a "boss-ectomy".
