What to do if my wife’s boss has been verbally abusive to her for some time?
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What to do if my wife’s boss has been verbally abusive to her for some time?
She insults her intelligence by calling her an idiot (even in front of residents and police officers), she comments on her weight in many different ways, belittles her, and has cause a lot of emotional damage/stress to her. HR/Corporate has been told about this but to date nothing has been done.
Asked on December 5, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Arizona
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Unfortunately, there is no law against an employer being verbally abusive as a general matter: an employer may be rude, crude, insulting, disrespectful, and unprofessional; and an employer may insult or belittle staff at will. The only exception is that such abuse cannot be directed at a person due her race, sex, religion, age over 40, disability, or similar category specifically protected by law. If it is, she may have a employment discrimination claim, and could contact her state's equal/civil rights agency, or speak with an attorney about the possibility of a lawsuit.
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