I have been at my job 2 years and like my job but can't stand the constant remarks from a fellow employee. We are a small company in Texas with 14 employees, only 3 of us work in the office. I do A.P. & A.R. my step father is the president and does outside sales, so does the other man in the office. I am the only female out of 14 people. He has made comments about wanting to video tape me while I get undressed. He also has made several comments about hispanics and blacks. I am white but my husband is hispanic and that bothers me. The other day he call me a "B" and told me all I was lacking was a broom. I have brought this to my step fathers attention before and it has been pushed aside. Today the gentleman pushed me over the edge and it took me crying before my step father decided that we needed to have a meeting tomorrow. This gentleman also has a problem with a coworker in our warehouse. Making comments about his race, the way he speaks with a accent and his height. I am almost possitive this is discrimination or harrassment, but if I filed a complaint against this man would it fall back on the company? It is my step fathers business and I have seen him work so hard for it and I would not want to get the company involved. Is there anything I can do?

Federal law requires employers with at least 15 employees to comply with its laws regarding sexual harassment. Texas doesn't have its own discrimination laws.

Since your employer has only 14 employees, it may not need to comply with discrimination laws. Has the company had over 14 employees at any time over the past few months? It may fall under the federal jurisdiction if it does.

However, let's assume that it is not subject to anti-discrimination laws. Then, your stepfather's proposal is the best. Your stepfather probably knows that the kind of behavior being exhibited by his employee can have dire consequences for his business...larger employers who are his client have a duty to ensure that they do not condone discrimination...so, there is a possibility that it could affect the client relationship. Also, discriminatory behaviors will cause problems with the hiring and retention of good employees. Even worse, it could cause severe employee relations difficulties, hampering the productivity of the company.

Let me know what happens on this matter. I'd like to know. If you want to read more about the federal discrimination laws, you can refer to the following Texas website: http://www.twc.state.tx.us/customers/jsemp/jsempsub7.html

Good luck.