Hostile Work Environment

yappytrap

I work for a very high energy company. We are an organization with higher turnover than most here in Indiana. We recently hired an employee who likes to make racial slurs and remarks in front of his new coworkers. I am not sure why he does this but being a person of "color" I was offended by these remarks. I advised my manager that I felt attacked and was offended. I went home that evening and the issue continued to bother me. I do not feel like my issues are ever taken seriously. My manager never turned in my report of a hostile work environment furthermore discouraged me to go to HR. What recourse do I have? What can I do? Should I seek counsel?

Help in Indiana.

Terry

If your company has a handbook or policy posted to follow regarding this type of activity, follow the procedure in that. If they don't, go directly to HR and tell them not only of the activity of this employee but that the supervisor discouraged you from reporting it.

Gerri

I agree with Terry's response, however if you feel like your complaint is still being ignored, I would recommend that you contact your local EEOC office and file a complaint with them. You might also check to see if your state has a Human Rights Commission, and file a complaint with them as well.

Don D

>I work for a very high energy company.

What's a "high energy company"? Just wondering. I assume you are not in HR from what you say. Inappropriate remark(s) were made, you were offended, you spoke with your manager about it, you were subsequently basically ignored with an admonition to go no further with it. That's crap (pardon me). You should proceed immediately to HR and make your report there. If 'he likes to make racial slurs and remarks in front of coworkers', then you will certainly have others come forward in the investigation who confirm your report and surely action will be taken. If your HR person does not ask you who are others who you think have heard similar remarks, then you should volunteer that information. If the perpetrator is a new employee, then he apparently doesn't have other incidents in his file. Nevertheless, I personally think that if there are others who collaborate your report and he has persisted in making racial remarks, and it was not a one time off the cuff remark that did cease, he is history. A company should neither WANT him employed nor can it afford to KEEP him employed. If the company keeps him, the company should have enough sense to figure out that 'this' is just the tip of the iceberg he will become for the company.

Carol CA

I agree with Don that you should not be ignored and your complaints should be taken seriously. One thing I might also suggest, however, is that you talk to this new employee yourself and tell him that you were offended by the remarks he made. It could be that he thought he was being "funny" in his attempt to fit in to the new company, not realizing he was really being offensive. Sometimes all it takes is to let the person know you don't appreciate their comments and they will stop. Certainly if you tell him to stop and he doesn't, I would high-tail it to HR and report it immediately.

Good Luck!

Rockie

I agree with Carol. In orienting new employees, I always advise that they confront anyone who makes a disparaging remark, tells an off-color joke, shows questionable cartoons, sends emails, etc. that you find their behavior offensive and you do not want to be subject to it. While I do not condone racial/discriminatory remarks in any context, sometimes what some people find funny, others do not - so it is sometimes a fine line as to what constitutes a hostile work environment. In this case, since the supervisor "pooh- poohed" the situation and tried to sweep it under the rug, HR should definitely be advised and involved in the situation. The supervisor should also be admonished in this case or retrained.

If you feel your concerns are not being addressed properly, then you can certainly pursue a Human Affairs/EEOC complaint.

yappytrap

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 04-26-02 AT 02:43PM (CST)[/font][p]Thanks everyone for your answers to my questions.

I am going to HR but HR tends to slack in that department in my company. I have a background in HR but I wanted to make sure the consencus was there. I did talk to the said employee and he never once apologized but on another recent occassion asked me more detailed questions about hte race of another person. I almost think that this guys has no clue that what he says is wrong, especially in the work place. I am bothered by this and would like for the issue to be address but I am not sure what the outcome will be. The good news is that my current employer nor can that employee retaliate, correct?

I am not a person looking to sue anyone but I also do not want race to be an issue in my job. This person had no idea I was a person of color (Which I guess is to my favor)until I told them what they said was wrong. I would hope that color would not be the issue at hand. He down right offended me, period!

High energy company you ask...just a term for a very open organization, casual, ecclectic, but fun! We get the job done.

I really appreciate your answers and please offer more information if you can. I am willing to read any ones thoughts on the isse.

Carol CA

You wrote that you think this person doesn't have any clue as to what is appropriate to say, especially in the workplace. It sounds to me like your company needs some Respectful Workplace Training. I have a good video you might tell your HR Dept. about. It's called "With All Due Respect" and was created by American Training Resources, Inc. Their telephone number is (800) 278-2780 and their website is [url]www.atr-inc.com[/url]. We are using it to train all of our employees about a respectful workplace. It only last 18 minutes, but has good real-life scenarios about what people are doing at work that is not appropriate. This guy would hopefully catch a clue after watching it.

Don D

It's been awhile........Anyone know how this one turned out?

yappytrap

Hello...the saga continues. I am seekign counsel and I am hoping that things will work out for the best.

Thanks!!!

Don D

Please be more specific. (1) Did the behavior continue?, (2) Did you have a conference with H.R.?, (3) Did HR investigate PROPERLY, (4) Did you ever tell the person you objected to his comments? (5) Why fool with legal counsel if the process is working and if HR is either correcting the behavior or imposing discipline? If not, go for it!