In short, a hostile work
environment is one where the actions, behavior, or communication of a boss or
coworker were discriminatory and interfered with your ability to do your job.
When you accept a job you and your employer usually agree to terms, conditions,
and expectations of what constitutes a comfortable work environment. A hostile
work environment is one in which those terms and conditions have been
nullified.
It is important to make a
distinction between coworkers and bosses who are annoying or hard to deal with,
and those who are creating a hostile environment. For instance, Tina in
accounting who is always so loud and inconsiderate of others, constantly
chewing gum, or slurping loudly from a drink may be merely annoying. But Ted,
who is constantly making sexually explicit remarks about your other coworkers
or sends emails that are not appropriate for work may be quilty of sexual
harassment and is very likely contributing to hostility in the workplace.
So, what constitutes
discrimination? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created
in 1964 by the Civil Rights Act sets forth certain requirements to evidence
discrimination. For one, the hostile actions or behavior must be discriminatory
to a protected classification of race, age, disability or religion.
Additionally, to be
considered ‘hostile’ this behavior must be pervasive and occurring over a long
period of time, rather than a one-time remark. If you suspect someone’s
behavior may be hostile, you should report it to your Human Resources
department immediately in order to have a record of the incident.
If you suspect you may be in
a hostile work environment, please know that you have rights as an employee. To
find out what actions you can take to correct hostile behavior in your
workplace, go to BarkerLee.com now!
