WHEN DOES IT CROSS THE LINE?

Not every rude boss or unpleasant coworker is breaking the law. For workplace harassment to be actionable — something you can actually sue over — the conduct generally has to clear two hurdles.

First, it has to be because of who you are — your sex, race, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or another protected characteristic. A manager who's harsh with everyone is just a bad boss. A manager who targets you because of a protected trait is a legal problem.

Second, it has to be "severe or pervasive" — and that's an "or," not an "and." That can mean:

• One severe incident — a sexual assault, a violent threat, a slur to your face — or

• A pattern of smaller incidents that add up to a hostile or abusive workplace.

Here's what many people don't realize: in California, a single serious incident can be enough. State law is more protective than most employers let on, and you don't have to grit your teeth for months before it "counts."

The line is fact-specific. What an employer waves off as "just joking" often isn't — and what feels wrong to you may well be illegal.

If something at work doesn't sit right, that's worth a conversation.