Hostile Work Environment: 6 Signs and Its Cure

According to a study, one in five people in the US experiences a hostile work environment. So, what are the signs of a hostile work environment and if you are suspecting that there’s something wrong with the workplace, then you will want to deal with a hostile work place as soon as possible, to prevent it altogether in the future, before employees become irreversibly unproductive or go down the legal road.

What constitutes a hostile work environment?

The definition: ‘A hostile work environment is a workplace that makes employees feel “uncomfortable, scared, or intimidated” due to unwelcome conduct. This includes behavior that may leave another employee feeling afraid or violated. Such offensive behavior happens in many forms, including sexual harassment. To explore this concept, consider the following hostile work environment definition.

While any number of behaviors might create a hostile work environment, any conduct or actions that create an environment in which an employee dreads going to work is generally seen to create such a setting.

A hostile work environment is sometimes referred to as an “offensive work environment,” or an “abusive work environment.” The individual causing a hostile work environment may be an employee, a supervisor, an owner, or even an independent contractor. There are federal and state laws in place to protect employees from being subjected to workplace hostility.

Legal actions for hostile work environment

Examining hostile work environment laws helps you determine whether there are legal risks in your workplace. For example, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says that a hostile work environment results from harassment:

Laws governing harassment and discrimination in the workplace are civil in nature, meaning that a victim has the right to file a civil lawsuit if any of these laws have been violated. To be successful in a civil lawsuit for harassment, discrimination, or creating a hostile work environment, the victim must generally prove certain elements:

• The hostile acts discriminated against the victim, based on age, sex, religion, race, disability, or other protected trait.
• Hostility severity enough to disrupt the employee’s work or productivity.
• It was continuous, happening regularly or frequently over a period of time,
• The employer, failed to intervene or take appropriate action to stop the behavior or acts.
• The employee reasonably believed that tolerating the abusive behavior was necessary for continued employment.

This means that any kind of discriminatory action and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics can bring about a hostile environment which might bring a lawsuit along with negative impact on the reputation of your company.

Signs of a hostile work environment

Creating a positive work environment is one of the most important task of an employer.  A toxic work environment has certain characteristics, e.g. employees experiencing burnout symptoms, arguing often, complaining they’re underpaid or underappreciated. Along with other signs that clearly point to job dissatisfaction, such as absenteeism, lack of resources, job insecurity brought by layoffs, etc.

Also, in a hostile work environment, you’re more likely to see fear, apprehension, and official complaints to HR about bullying or discrimination.

So, what behaviors are considered criteria for a hostile work environment? Here are 6 signs of hostile work environment.

Sexual / racial harassment.

You can’t have people making vulgar comments about gender or sexual orientation, spouting racial slurs or ridiculing someone on the basis of sex or race, and claim you have a healthy workplace. If you are reported relevant complaints or heard this kind of verbal abuse yourself, you’re probably going to see increased hostility in the workplace.

Discrimination of any kind.

Occurrence of discrimination can occur in many ways:

• Gender
• Race
• Skin pigmentation
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Physical or cognitive disabilities

This means that they’re biased against these groups of people so it’s possible they don’t behave properly to those already in your company belonging to those groups. Not only can bias foster a hostile workplace, but discrimination against protected characteristics is also illegal in many countries.

Consistent aggressiveness

If a manager threatens to punish or yells at you when you’ve done nothing wrong, this could be a sign of hostile workplace. When employees are feeling victimized or afraid, most likely going to feel like the company isn’t being fair.

Ridiculing or victimization

Some people may play jokes or tease each other, that’s normal between work friends, but offensive jokes or racial slurs, in no way is okay. A very serious prank that leaves the person embarrassed and frustrated, ridiculing a colleague, that’s a sign of a hostile workplace. Targeting people for public humiliation is increasingly unacceptable.

Lots of complaints and threats for punishment

If employees are constantly filing complaints and supervisors talk of disciplining or punishing employees, something is definitely wrong. Even if you don’t see official complaints, keep your ears open when the conversation turns to personal experiences in the workplace.

Instinct

Your gut can probably tell you if you’re working in a good or a bad workplace. If you or your coworkers often feel miserable, afraid or threatened, that’s a clear sign of a hostile work environment.

These are all signs you can notice whether you’re looking in from the outside or work closely with the people at fault.

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Steps to Deal with a Hostile Work Environment

How do you fix a hostile workplace, though there’s no clear answer; each company deals with an abusive work environment on a case by case basis. Though there are certain steps for anyone experiencing a situation that makes their work environment difficult or unbearable.

Steps to deal with a hostile work environment include:

• Asking the person to stop the behavior, and document the request. If the victim feels too afraid or too intimidated to make this request themselves, they should ask their direct supervisor or HR to make the request.
• Keeping a log of incidents of harassment or abuse, including the dates, times, and situation.
• If the offending employee does not stop the behavior, reporting about the hostile behavior to the supervisor, along with any proof of the behavior.
• If, after following the chain of command as outlined in the company’s guidelines, the offending employee continues unacceptable behavior, and the employer does not take definitive steps to stop the behavior, file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• It should be noted that if, at any time, the offensive behavior rises to the level of breaking the law, or of truly making the victim fear for his or her safety, the incidents should be reported to the police. A copy of the police report should then be given to the employer as a part of the ongoing hostile work environment complaint.

CONCLUSION

The employer has to ensure a safe, open and inclusive environment for the employees to work in. It’s important to make note of the situations that are occurring, especially if they fall into the category of illegal harassment. These instances should always get reported to either management or law enforcement. Otherwise, they’ll keep occurring.

Even if the action isn’t unlawful, it’s still important to report hostile behavior to managers or someone with authority who can address it. That way, those with the power to make a change in staffing and work culture are aware of the problem and can take action.

Because of this, managers need to take concerns seriously. You’ll struggle to find and retain talent if these problems occur amongst your team and you don’t do anything about it.