The laws prohibiting harassment and hostile work environment are intended to prevent harassment and ensure that employees are not working in environments which are so hostile or intimidating that the employee's work is affected. These laws are not intended to ensure that every employee gets along with every other employee and that everyone is nice to each other.
If you believe that you are being subjected to a hostile work environment, you will need to prove that the events or harassment that you believe makes your work environment intolerable is so constant or severe that not only do you believe it is hostile or harassing, but also that a reasonable person in your situation would also share your feelings.
A hostile work environment can be proven through a series of continuous incidents - such as routinely being disciplined for actions that coworkers outside of your protected class also take without consequence - or through one single incident if the incident is sufficiently severe - such as being threatened by a supervisor using a racial slur.
If you believe that you are being harassed and subjected to a hostile work environment, the federal employee attorneys at Melville Johnson, P.C. may be able to help you build your case and succeed in proving your claim. Call or message us today and we will be happy to work with you to improve your work situation.