It can be difficult to get up and go to work every day knowing that you dislike your workplace. Many people have annoying coworkers or bosses who they feel are unfair. However, a hostile work environment generally goes above behavior that is irritating or inconvenient and refers to a workplace that tolerates offensive or intimidating behaviors.
Here are some of the signs of a hostile work environment in New York.
There are threats
Threats of physical violence, even if physical assaults never occur, qualify as a hostile work environment. An employee does not even have to be the direct recipient of the threats to be a victim of this environment, as simply overhearing a threat can be detrimental to someone’s ability to perform their job.
Offensive jokes and comments occur
Everyone has a different level of what they consider to be acceptable humor. However, persistent comments that target someone’s race, religion, gender or other protected status make a workplace hostile for everyone involved.
Employees witness intimidation
Intimidation often occurs when someone knows better than to make an outright threat, but they still want to make another person feel ill at ease. Persistent intimidation causes a hostile work environment because it causes people to feel as though they cannot speak up in meetings, show their best work or make friends with people in the office, among other things.
Knowing the signs of a hostile work environment helps employees be aware of what is and what is not acceptable behavior in New York workplaces.
