Emotional distress on the job

What is emotional distress on the job? Workers who get hassled at work sometimes want to sue for "emotional distress." To win a case of "intentional infliction of emotional distress," the worker will have to show that you (or someone who represents the company - like an executive or a supervisor) said or did things to the worker that were so outrageous that a court would consider them "beyond the bounds of decency." If an employer occasionally yells at a worker, intimidates the worker, or makes the employee work 20 hours a day, this might not be sufficient. On the other hand, if you subject an employee to continuous and hostile verbal abuse over a long period of time, this might be enough. A worker who brings such a lawsuit must also prove that it was the job - not something or someone else - that caused the emotional distress.

If an employer's conduct was not "outrageous" enough to support an emotional distress suit, the worker still might be able to file a workers' compensation [link] claim for on- the-job stress.

Either way, if you are faced with a claim based on emotional distress on the job, see a lawyer who specializes in employment law.

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