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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Law & Legal |
Employer told me to stop talking to co-worker? |
My manager told me to stop talking to my co-worker. Come to find out she has told 3 or 4 other people the same thing. Is this legal. I don't mean that we're in a quite work area and we are speaking when we're not suppose to. It's a little odd to me that she is the only black female in the office and they have labeled her as a troublemaker. She is one of my friends - do they have any right to do this??? This depends on a few things: -are your conversations being restricted during work hours only, or is your manager instructing you not to converse on your own time, such as meal periods? Management cannot dictate how employees spend their leisure time unless they are paying you for that time. -have you all been instructed not to speak to one another, or has everyone been instructed not to speak to only this person? If it's the latter, it could be disparate treatment. -it's inappropriate for your manager to discuss disciplinary issues with the staff, but do you have any reason to believe that this person is in fact a "troublemaker?" Has she confided in you that she's been written up or otherwise gotten into trouble with the boss? Check www.eeoc.gov for more on discriminatory/disparate treatment. Depending on the circumstances, your friend may have legal recourse. Well, is she a troublemaker? Just because she is black, that's not an excuse to act inappropriately. If you feel they are being racist, contact someone in HR. I always say, choose your battles carefully. No, it is not illegal if your talking is disrupting your work. Your employer pays to work, not to socialize. If, however, your manager forbids you to have conversations on your own time it is not illegal, but it is highly inappropriate. I would suggest talking to the manager regarding the reasons behind why they do not want anyone talking to this employee. You can always say something to Human Resources, but if this lady has heard the manager telling people to not talk to her, it might be best if SHE is the one who reports it. There may be more going on here than you know so don't put your job in jeopardy. Tell your friend what happened and let her know that until things have cleared up, you will have to communicate with her off the clock. This is highly unethical of your manager. If the manager has a problem with this person they need to address it with the co-worker not her work associates. It sounds like discrimination. A lot of companies have a 1-800 line that you can call to report unethical or suspicious activity at work the call is anonymous so you do not have to give your name then HR investigates. Yes, they have a right to do this. But you have a right to know the reasons why this has occurred. If you're a good employee - and if you're being truthful here, then it sounds to me like you are a good employee - then put on a respectful, pleasant demeanor and ask why. If you're not told, or told that the reasons are confidential, then ask respectfully and sincerely if YOU caused a problem. If you didn't, and you're told that the reason this happened, is confidential, then you can relax and assume that the problem lies elsewhere and you were given a "heads up". Talk to her only when the job requires it. If she comes to you, and asks why your behavior has changed, you'll have to decide how YOU want to handle it, but I wouldn't lie about anything. But don't go to her and volunteer anything. |
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