Who protects ADD Adults in companies with less than 15 employees?
After 3 months at my current employment I told my boss that I was diagnosed with ADHD. I told him this so it would explain to him why I do things differently than my coworkers and so he wouldn't mistake me for being lazy or crazy. Ever since then he has taken every opportunity to ridicule me about it. He says that I use it as an excuse for not being able to multitask efficiently, and that I could "stop" it if I really wanted to. I am a 49 year old woman, believe me I would have "stopped" it long before NOW! When a file is misplaced he blames it on me. He calls me A-D-D in front of other coworkers. When I told him that this namecalling really hurts my feelings, he says, "I'm just picking on you."
"You can't take a joke?" This has caused a ton of stress on me. I can't quit because I am in debt up to my eyeballs. I've been there a year now. What can I do?
Tammie
Thank you for your question and welcome to ADHDCentral.com.
Employers with less than 15 employers are not mandated by federal law under either the Equal Employment Opportunity law or Americans with Disabilities law. However, many states and localities have laws that protect employees in companies with less than 15 employees. You will need to check with your individual state and local government to find out the laws in your area.
For your information, harrassment, as defined by the EEOC is: "Harassment violates federal law if it involves discriminatory treatment based on race, color, sex (with or without sexual conduct), religion, national origin, age, disability, or because the employee opposed job discrimination or participated in an investigation or complaint proceeding under the EEO statutes. Federal law does not prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not extremely serious. The conduct must be sufficiently frequent or severe to create a hostile work environment or result in a "tangible employment action," such as hiring, firing, promotion, or demotion."
This definition can provide you with the information to determine whether you feel you have been a victim of harassment.
The first step, however, would be to file a written complaint to the person in charge of Human Resources at your company. Even though it is a small company, you should not be subject to consistent humiliation. I do not know the dynamics of the company you are working for and whether you would be met with more hostility based on your complaint.
I hope this helps
Eileen
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