A growing number of people have come to realize one thing: They don’t have to deal with a hostile work environment. Instead of subjecting themselves to this sort of atmosphere, they realize they can exercise their employee rights.
Claims against employers are increasing, with many people saying that they were subjected to a hostile work environment that negatively impacted their performance and personal life.
Here is the problem: Some people don’t understand the difference between a hostile work environment and harmless behavior.
You need to know what a hostile work environment looks like, how to pinpoint any problem that comes up, and what to do about it. This will ensure that you know how to deal with any situation, no matter how bad it may be.
Determining discrimination or harassment in the workplace depends on the facts and elements of the behavior. For example, a person must be able to prove that the conduct was unwelcome. Along with this, they have to be sure that it affected their terms of employment.
It is not uncommon for a person to be harassed at work. What is uncommon, however, is for the employer or manager to admit to this. This is why the victim must collect all evidence.
You have to look at the big picture to determine if you are truly part of a hostile work environment. This is the best way to understand what happened, as well as what you can do to protect yourself in the future. Even if there is some gray area, you owe it to yourself to learn more.
Source: Seattle Business, “When Does a Workplace Qualify as Being Hostile?,” accessed Oct. 27, 2015
