Labor Laws About Hostile Work Environments in South Carolina

• A hostile work environment, which has several other names including abusive work environment or offensive work environment, is where inappropriate actions occur in the workplace. According to EmployeeIssues.com, an online employment resource, a workplace that is classified as hostile legally is one that has persistent problems regarding harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

Employment Discrimination Laws

• Any employee in South Carolina that is discriminated against for any reason can legally file charges for a hostile work environment. According to the South Carolina Department of Labor, the state prohibits discrimination for "race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin and disability." This means that an employer is not allowed to harass, fire or otherwise act in a discriminatory way toward any employee.

At Will Law

• The laws in South Carolina for termination are "at will". This means that the employer may fire an employee at any time and for any reason. The employer can even fire the employee for no reason. The same is true of employees, who may leave a job at any time they choose. The exception is when the reason for job termination is based on discrimination in some way, such as firing a woman for her pregnancy.

Retaliation Laws

• The state of South Carolina does not allow employers to retaliate in any way when an employee has told the government about problems with the workplace. Any employee that tells about illegal activities, safety hazards or other problems at work that faces a hostile environment as a result can hire a lawyer and take action against the employer for the inappropriate actions.