Workplace Abuse: How to Handle a Hostile Work Environment
Many of us spend at least 40 hours per week in the workplace. Given this fact, making sure the workplace is a healthy place to be for so much time is incredibly important. Unfortunately, some workplaces are more toxic than not- and some are downright hostile workplace environments.
Workplace abuse and trauma can affect your life in and outside of work: here’s our guide to what a hostile work environment looks like, with examples, as well as steps to take to help yourself.
What is a Hostile Work Environment?
“Hostile work environment” is a commonly used term by human resources (HR), but it does have a specific definition. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a hostile work environment is the result of such severe and common harassment that it constitutes abuse that could violate federal law if the harassment addresses your “race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions; sexual orientation; and gender identity), disability, age (40+), or genetic information.”
Those categories- race, religion, etc - are considered “protected” categories by federal law. Harassment, as defined by the EEOC, is employment discrimination in the form of unwelcome conduct based on those protected categories.
Examples of a Hostile Work Environment
As you might imagine, the categories addressed above are very broad and can contain a variety of problematic behaviors. To help, here are some examples of harassment by either coworkers or supervisors that can create a hostile work environment:
Conversations that are sexual in nature - whether directly or simply overheard; this can look like two coworkers discussing their exploits in dating, or it can look like a supervisor making inappropriate remarks about how “easy” one of their direct reports might be.
Non-consensual touching - Unprompted massages, groping, etc
Negative jokes - Making fun of a coworker or supervisee behind their backs, etc- this is a form of emotional abuse in the workplace
Comments on physical appearances of coworkers - Inappropriate comments on outfits, body parts, etc
Sharing insensitive/sexually suggestive images - Showing someone a photo of a body part, sexual meme, etc
Offensive gestures - the middle finger, lewd gestures, etc
Crude language - Using unprofessional or discriminatory language
Sabotaging employee’s work - destroying files
Physical threats - any threat to the physical wellbeing of the worker
Physical harm - any harm to the worker
Retaliation - harassment increases if worker objects or complains– this is an abuse of power in the workplace on the part of supervisors
This is not an exhaustive list. It can sometimes be difficult to understand that what you might be experiencing is harassment also, especially if a culture of racism or sexism pervades your entire workplace, or you’re just “used” to verbal abuse in the workplace.
Things are Not Considered Workplace Abuse
It is also important to know that some unpleasant work experiences do not constitute a hostile work environment. Some examples of these include:
Constructive Criticism: Feedback on work performance intended to guide and improve the employee's job effectiveness. While it might not feel great to receive criticism, this is not defined as abuse
Professional Discipline: Disciplinary actions taken in response to legitimate workplace violations or poor performance.
Performance Reviews: Regularly scheduled evaluations of an employee's job performance.
Assigning Work: Allocating tasks and responsibilities that are within the employee's job description and capabilities.
Setting Deadlines: Establishing deadlines that are reasonable and achievable within the scope of the employee’s role.
Requiring Overtime: Asking employees to work extra hours as long as it complies with labor laws and employment agreements.
Denial of a Promotion: Not promoting an employee based on fair assessments of their qualifications, performance, or business needs.
Job Redundancy: Layoffs due to economic reasons, restructuring, or other legitimate business considerations.
Workplace Rules and Policies: Enforcing company rules and policies consistently among all employees.
Change in Job Role or Duties: Adjustments in job roles or responsibilities due to evolving business needs, provided they are within reasonable limits and capabilities.
Strong smelling food - while unpleasant, salmon in the office microwave does not constitute a hostile workplace
Cold attitude - while off-putting, a coworker or supervisor that is cold or reserved is not actively harassing you
Loud talking - while unpleasant, loud talking itself is not grounds for an abusive workplace allegation
How to Handle a Hostile Work Environment
With all this in mind, what do you do if you work in a hostile workplace environment? I worked in an abusive and toxic work environment for 7+ years of my young adult life. I was 20 years old when I started with the company.
I was a single mom and was getting paid a decent living considering I did not have my college degree. I knew nowhere else would pay me what I was making, so I dealt with the drama and maltreatment for years. It affected me negatively without me even realizing it until I was promoted and put in a normal work environment. It wasn’t until I started the new job that I realized how toxic my old work environment was.
In trying to figure out what to do, I found this article, and it states to avoid a toxic work environment. You need to know how to:
1. Identify hostile behaviors.
2. Approach the hostile party in the right manner.
3. Support victimized coworkers.
4. Ensure compliance with anti-harassment policies.
5. Assess and monitor hostile situations.
6. Implement the grievance procedure.
I am not entirely satisfied with their solutions though. I feel most people are too scared or intimidated to speak to their bosses about these issues like I was. I was terrified that I would get retaliated against if I said anything. If you’d like to follow the above suggestions, great. But here is what I did:
I kept a log of everything my manager would do and say to me. No matter how big or small, document everything. This is your proof of harassment and how to hold someone accountable at work. Document the time, date, location, and description of what happened, and keep receipts of written correspondence where applicable.
Talk to your colleagues about it. I held it in for a long time because I was embarrassed. But lo and behold, once I started opening up to my co-workers about it, I found out they were experiencing similar issues with the same manager. Remember, your silence only protects your abuser.
Where should you report workplace abuse? First, file a complaint with your HR department. Write everything in emails so you have a paper trail behind you. I had proof of reaching out to my HR department several times and they never responded to my emails. This will help you if you need to escalate the issue.
If your HR department failed you, as mine did, take it higher and reach out to your inspector general or law department. These entities will force the other departments to respond and work with you. I hate to use the “I will sue you” route but sometimes that is the only way to get people to move.
Advocate for yourself. If you do not advocate for yourself, no one else will. Do what you have to do to have peace in your life. We all deserve that, especially in a work environment. In fact, it’s your employer’s duty to ensure you are in a healthy and safe work environment. Just like they are supposed to have fire extinguishers and safety exits to keep you safe. They are also responsible for ensuring your mental health is safe too from abusive co-workers.
Many workplaces are hostile but not within the actionable bounds of the law; however, when the discrimination is based on the categories I outlined at the beginning of this article - race, gender, sexuality, disability, etc - this violates federal law it could become grounds for a legal investigation.
Conclusion
It’s never okay to be discriminated against or harassed anywhere, let alone the workplace. Workplace abuse can take many forms, and hostile workplace environments can cause burnout, trauma, and other difficulties no one should have to go through. If you feel you are a part of a toxic work environment and need help, feel free to reach out to us at info@womenrisechicago.org
