Verbal harassment in the workplace is more than just hurt feelings or the occasional rude remark. It can be a serious legal issue that impacts your mental health, job performance, and long-term career. When offensive, threatening, or demeaning language becomes persistent and targets protected characteristics such as race, gender, age, or disability, it may rise to the level of unlawful harassment under federal and Florida law.
Cruz Law Firm, P.A. helps employees understand their rights and pursue legal action when those rights are violated. Whether you’re dealing with constant insults, inappropriate jokes, or retaliation after reporting misconduct, you don’t have to face it alone. Our firm is dedicated to standing up for workers across Florida who have experienced mistreatment on the job. Contact us today to discuss your workplace harassment case.
What Is Verbal Harassment in the Workplace?
Verbal harassment in the workplace is unwelcome, offensive, or abusive language that demeans, threatens, or humiliates an employee. This type of conduct goes beyond occasional disagreements or isolated rude comments.
Verbal harassment is actionable if it is severe or pervasive enough to interfere with your ability to do your job and targets a legally protected trait. Under federal and Florida law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act (FCRA), employees are protected from verbal abuse in the workplace when it is based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, or other protected categories.
Verbal harassment is unlawful in two main scenarios: when it creates a hostile work environment or when enduring it becomes a condition of continued employment. It’s important to distinguish between unlawful harassment and general workplace conflict. The key factors are frequency, severity, and whether the conduct is tied to a protected characteristic.
Common Examples of Verbal Harassment
Verbal harassment in the workplace can take many forms. Knowing what to look for helps identify unlawful behavior. Some workplace verbal abuse examples include:
- Insults or name-calling – Derogatory comments based on race, gender, disability, or other protected traits, such as calling a colleague “lazy” due to their age or using gender-based slurs
- Slurs and offensive jokes – Jokes about someone’s ethnicity, mocking a foreign accent, or using racial or sexual slurs, even if framed as “humorous”
- Threats or intimidation – Yelling in a threatening tone, warning someone to “watch their back,” or using language that causes fear or distress
- Comments about appearance – Making unwelcome remarks about an employee’s clothing, weight, hairstyle, or grooming choices
- Sexually suggestive language – Inappropriate sexual comments, crude innuendos, or persistent discussions about someone’s body or personal life
While a single remark may not always constitute harassment, repeated verbal abuse or ongoing patterns of offensive behavior can create a hostile work environment. Note that this conduct doesn’t only come from supervisors and coworkers. Clients, customers, or vendors can also contribute to workplace harassment.
How to Document and Report Verbal Harassment
If you’re experiencing verbal harassment, documenting and reporting it is key. Follow these steps to protect yourself and preserve your legal options:
- Keep a detailed log of each incident, including the date, time, location, what was said or done, and who witnessed it.
- Save any relevant communications such as emails, text messages, voicemails, or written notes with evidence of harassment.
- Follow your company’s anti-harassment policy by reporting the behavior to Human Resources or a designated supervisor.
- Submit complaints in writing whenever possible to create a clear record of your report.
- Understand that once an employer is made aware of a harassment complaint, they are legally required to investigate and take appropriate corrective action.
- If your internal complaint is ignored, mishandled, or leads to further mistreatment, consider filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the FloridaCommission on Human Relations (FCHR).
In Florida, employees generally have 300 days from the date of the most recent incident to file a charge with the EEOC. Cruz Law Firm, P.A. can review your claim and help you understand your options, important deadlines, and what to do next.
What to Do If You Face Retaliation After Reporting
Retaliation is when an employer takes negative action against an employee for reporting verbal harassment or participating in an investigation. Both federal and Florida anti-discrimination laws strictly prohibit retaliation.
Common examples of retaliation include:
- Being reassigned to less desirable shifts or duties
- Receiving sudden negative performance reviews after making a complaint
- Experiencing increased hostility or isolation from supervisors or coworkers
- Termination, reduced hours, or demotion
- Exclusion from meetings
- Pay cuts
If you suspect retaliation, take the following steps:
- Document each incident just as you would with harassment, including dates, details, and witnesses.
- Report the retaliation through your company’s internal complaint procedures.
- Consider filing a separate complaint with the EEOC or FCHR based on retaliation.
Even if your original harassment claim is not ultimately proven, you are still legally protected as long as your complaint was made in good faith. Employers cannot legally punish you for speaking up.
Seeking Legal Help: When to Contact an Employment Lawyer
If your concerns have been ignored, dismissed, or met with retaliation, it may be time to speak with an employment lawyer at Cruz Law Firm, P.A. Legal guidance is especially important if you want to explore the possibility of filing a claim for damages or injunctive relief.
Our firm can protect your rights at every stage of the process. We’ll gather and organize evidence, identify legal violations, and develop a custom legal strategy. Legal representation can also help your claim be taken seriously, whether by your employer or the relevant enforcement agency.
Before your consultation, it’s helpful to gather any documentation related to your experience. This includes your harassment log, saved emails or messages, HR reports, and a clear timeline of events. You should also make a note of any witnesses who may be able to confirm your account of events.
Depending on the circumstances, legal outcomes may include compensation for damages such as emotional distress, lost wages, and, in some cases, punitive damages. In certain situations, we may also seek job reinstatement or other corrective actions.
Contact Cruz Law Firm, P.A. for Help with Verbal Harassment Claims
Cruz Law Firm, P.A. is committed to helping Florida employees facing workplace harassment, discrimination, or retaliation. With nearly 20 years of combined experience and more than $15 million recovered for clients, clients say we’re “extremely knowledgeable and…fierce advocate[s].”
If you’re experiencing verbal harassment in the workplace, contact us today for a consultation.