LAS VEGAS -- If you feel like you are being bullied at work, you're not alone. A new survey out by careerbuilder.com shows that one in four employees feels bullied at work. And the culprit most likely your boss.
For many employees, life at work isn't only stressful because of the workload, but also because they feel they are being bullied.
One woman says she was being bullied because of child care problems.
"I ended up going over her to talk to her boss about it and that kind of stopped the problem, but not really. She got more hostile and I ended up leaving my job," she said.
She is not alone. 8 News NOW's Facebook page was flooded with comments from viewers who say they too were bullied. That bullying can range from verbal abuse to intimidating stares from across the room.
But don't think you just have to sit back and take it. While the law doesn't necessarily protect you from bosses who are just mean-natured, an attorney says there could be a pattern that shows discrimination. Remember, employers cannot discriminate against age, race, sex, religion, national origin or sexual orientation.
Attorney Lani Esteban Trinidad says employees need to ask themselves why they think this bullying is taking place.
"You do have an immediate obligation to report it to human resources because you have to give the employer the opportunity to try to correct the harm. And the best way to do that would be in writing, and if that fails, then you would go to see an attorney or go to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission or the Equal Opportunity Commission," said Trinidad.
If you were to file a claim with the state, you are protected under law from retaliation so you will have legal recourse if they fire you because you complained.
Trinidad says this definitely takes courage on behalf of the employee to take a step like this.
This is happening more often than you think. Trinidad says in the last two years, she has seen in increase in bosses and managers taking advantage of their employees -- even bullying them a little bit more.
She says that because some employers know the workers are in fear of losing a job in this economy, so they push the envelope a little more.
