Un Civil Work Place

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BobL

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My jurisdiction is: San Diego County, California

My wife works for a small/mid size family owned company with around 120 employees. One of the owners who she works closely with is a mental nut job. He regularly screams and yells at her and the other workers in her customer service department for reasons that are usually caused by him in the first place. Even if my wife or one of her coworkers makes a mistake, they don't deserve to be yelled at and ridiculed. It is to the point that my wife and others that work closely with this owner describe getting nauseous and tingling sensations in their stomach in the morning when they have to go to work. It is causing a toll on our home life because it wears my wife down and when she gets home she is emotionally drained. Sometimes this owner is out of the office and there is night and day difference in my wife emotionally when comparing days that he is or isn't at work that day. I have encouraged my wife to quit numerous times, but she has worked there 12 years and tries to counter the bad times with the other employees that she does enjoy working with; although she has said that this troubled owner has gotten worse over the 12 years she has been there.
My question is this. Is there any responsibility of the employer to provide a civil work place with no unnecessary emotional distress? I know jobs in themselves can be emotionally draining in nature, but this is added unnecessary emotional distress. Is there any legal recourse that we would have against this employer if I can convince my wife just to quit because it is causing emotional hardship to our family?
Thanks in advanced.
 
Q: Is there any responsibility of the employer to provide a civil work place with no unnecessary emotional distress?

A: You are kidding, right?
 
I am not even remotely unsympathetic, having been through a similar experience on two separate occasions, but no, there is nothing illegal about what you have posted.
 
seniorjudge said:
Q: Is there any responsibility of the employer to provide a civil work place with no unnecessary emotional distress?

A: You are kidding, right?
Click to expand...

I withdraw my comment.

I noticed the poster was from California.

:blush
 
Thanks for your input...

I appreciate your input. If I am understanding you, your opinions are that it is perfectly allowable for an employer to belittle, ridicule and emotionally harm their employees? I'm not the expert, that's why I'm asking, but I would sure think that there would be some recourse to stop it.
 
BobL said:
...
If I am understanding you, your opinions are that it is perfectly allowable for an employer to belittle, ridicule and emotionally harm their employees?
...
Click to expand...

You are correct.

It's not against the law to be mean.
 
BobL said:
Why the retraction? Are California labor laws different than elsewhere?
Click to expand...

Californians tend to think there's a law to cover everything.

:)
 
seniorjudge said:
Californians tend to think there's a law to cover everything.

:)
Click to expand...
Being from the midwest I will agree to that! Many frivolous lawsuits and whining. I sure don't think this falls under that though, but who am I to say.. I just want my wife to feel better about going to work instead of feeling run down and beaten everyday!
 
No, I did not say it was perfectly allowable. I said that it was not illegal. There is a difference.

The company can and should take charge of the situation; however, they are not legally required to do so. No laws are being broken; no legally protected rights are being violated.

That doesn't mean I think it's acceptable behavior in the workplace. But the law is not going to force the employer to take action.
 
ROFL, Judge! No offense, Bob, but if the employer wants to create a business where nobody wants to work, the employees can leave. There is no right to work, where you want to work, at what you want to get paid. Unless there is some conduct that clearly crosses a legal line or a "protected class" (like religion) your wife's remedy is to find another job and let this jerk find someone half as good.
 
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