Workplace bullying is an important issue that affects one-third of all employees. It can result in serious health issues like anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular problems. However, workplace bullying and a hostile work environment are two different things with their own legal definitions, and aren’t always mutually exclusive.
The Bureau of Land Management defines a hostile work environment as severe and pervasive conduct in the workplace that interferes with an employee’s ability to do their job. This can include things like sexual harassment or discrimination based off race, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
Legally, you have certain rights and are protected by federal law if you are working in a hostile work environment. The best bet would be to avoid companies like this all together. To get an idea on how current employees feel about the work environment, remember to check out reviews on prospective employers by visiting Glassdoor.com. This may save you the headache before you accept an offer.
If you’re already working and suspect your company may be a perpetrator, here are 5 signs of a hostile work environment and what you can do to fight back.
No Communication
If you are failing at your job as a result of a lack of communication, it may be a sign you’re in a hostile work environment. If you take initiative and reach out to the people and departments that are critical to a project and they intentionally undermine the success of said project by withholding crucial information, they are making your job impossible to do.
Reach out to the person who isn’t communicating, even if the relationship feels strained or awkward. If failure was a result of a lack of information, relay that to the individual immediately. If the behavior persists, it might be time to have a serious conversation with them, or you may want to talk to your HR department. Make sure that the communication breakdown isn’t on your end, and always be the first one to extend the olive branch.
Screaming or Yelling
It’s natural that managers might raise their voice a couple times in their career. When things get hot, and important projects are delayed, it’s reasonable to have a visceral response. However, this does not excuse consistent screaming or yelling in the workplace. This isn’t The Wolf of Wall Street, and it’s not normal for your boss to scream in your face.
If you are in an environment where yelling and screaming is commonplace, don’t feed into the behavior. Conversely, you don’t want to remain silent. Allow the person to finish screaming, then calmly explain how unprofessional and uncomfortable it was afterwards. By allowing the person to finish their rant you are making their method of yelling completely ineffective and by acting and speaking calmly afterwards, you are defusing the situation. It’s important to not come off condescending–you want to be as level headed and professional as possible, not pretentious.
Public Shaming
A highly competitive workplace is more common in certain industries such as sales. It’s important to recognize the difference between trying to motivate employees and publicly humiliating them. If you are constantly being targeted in group conversations for ridicule and criticism, it could constitute as public shaming, especially if the content of the ridicule doesn’t have to do with your job.
When a work environment becomes toxic, it’s hard to fight against established behavior. If you are new to a company and this style of management has already been adopted, you don’t need to accept it. While it might be hard to go against the status quo, you must always make sure that you are setting yourself up for success, and having a toxic and unhealthy working environment will hinder that.
Intense Scrutiny
We’ve all felt like we couldn’t do something right at a certain point in our lives. However, it shouldn’t be because our boss is reminding us every five seconds. When a co-worker or manager micromanages and insults your work it interferes with your ability to do current and future tasks.
It’s important to understand the difference between constructive criticism, which should be at every job, and the type of scrutiny that interferes with your ability to work. If your boss says you can’t do anything right, but you still have your job, there’s a good chance he or she is over-scrutinizing your work.
Unfair Targeting
Being a black sheep isn’t isolated to family circles, it can also extend to the workplace. If you feel like you are being intentionally singled out, it could be a good sign that you are working in a hostile work environment. If others in the same department or those in similar positions are held to different standards, or it’s made a point to negatively mention you in group meetings for things other than work performance, it could mean you’re being unfairly targeted for abuse.
Confer with some friends at your job to see if their perspective affirms your fears of being unfairly targeted. Again, a visit to HR may be in order so that someone can talk to your manager. Sometimes, they aren’t even aware they are creating a hostile work environment.
Legally, a hostile work environment needs to meet a couple of criteria in order to be considered as such. An easily irritable boss or annoying coworker may not constitute an actual hostile work environment, making possible litigation unlikely. However, federal laws like the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act protect certain classes from a hostile workplace. If you can’t do your job because of coworkers or managers, or your health is deteriorating because of stress at work, you need to identify whether your job has a hostile work environment and take the proper steps to litigate or quit. Ultimately your health and well-being should be your first and foremost priority, and a good career with a good company will help facilitate that.
