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Hostile Work
Environment
Steps to Better the Situation
A
hostile work environment is tough to deal with.
Every
day, countless people are forced to deal with a work environment
festering with hostility and inappropriate behavior.
The toll
from this can be exceedingly difficult on an individual, leading to
elevated stress and depression levels.
So
how do you know if
your work environment is hostile?
The first thing to
understand is that a hostile environment in the workplace
doesn’t have to directly
involve you.
Witnessing a hostile work situation from the
perspective of someone else can also be stressful.
Basically,
if a reasonable person would determine that behavior is particular
hostile or abusive, then this represents a hostile work
environment.
If an individual who is the subject of such
behavior feels that the behavior is especially hostile, derogatory,
demeaning, or embarrassing, then this automatically qualifies as a
hostile work environment.
Tips For
Dealing With a Hostile Work Environment
Speak Up
- The first thing you should do is tell an
immediate supervisor about the
problem.
- Even if you are not the target of the hostility
but
have simply witnessed it, don’t assume that the supervisor already
knows about the behavior.
- Instead, tell your supervisor what
has been going on and make it very clear that the behavior is not
acceptable.
- If the immediate supervisor seems indifferent
to
the situation or, worse, is involved directly in the hostility or
harassment, then you might want to consider going over his/her head.
- There may be times when you need to go
straight to the top of the management chain.
- Word
of caution: try to resolve the problem at the lower levels first;
involve your supervisor, HR, mentor, etc. before going straight to the
top.
Ignore
- If you are the target of hostility, then
sometimes it can be best to
ignore the harassment (if possible).
- The individuals targeted you are
probably looking to illicit a reaction out of you. If you
don’t give them a reaction, then the behavior will likely ebb and then
cease altogether.
- It can be difficult to sit there while
others ridicule or harass you, but combine this step with the one
above, and you will likely have the last laugh.
Avoid
- It also may be a good idea to avoid putting
yourself in situations
where you are an easy target for harassment.
- Never bring up
your personal life at work, even if you are partaking in a private
phone conversation that can be easily overheard. This is just
fodder for harassment from immature individuals.
Move
On
- Unfortunately, if all of the above steps fail
you, it may be best
to move on and look for alternative employment.
- Seeking out
top-level management and verbalizing your objections to working
conditions should absolutely be enough to change your
environment.
- But, if management is seemingly indifferent to
the situation, it may be worth your time to find another job.
- After all, we spend a huge percentage of our
waking hours at
work. A stressful environment at work is probably not worth
dealing with, no matter how much we want the job.
If you
decide that the level of abuse moves past immature harassment to become
threatening or demeaning, you could also consider taking legal
action. Sometimes, just the threat of such action will cause
the behavior to immediately stop.
For further information on employee
rights, such as the hostile
work environment section here, please be sure
to check out the following areas:
Similar to the employee rights, employers also have
responsibilities and rights. To learn more about this, check
out the employer
liability insurance section.
And don't forget to check out the various employment
background screening sections, especially if you are
interested in federal
government jobs.
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