The Complete Guide to a Hostile Work Environment in 2018 | i-Sight

The Legal Dictionary formally defines hostile work environment as “unwelcome or offensive behavior in the workplace, which causes one or more employees to feel uncomfortable, scared, or intimidated in their place of employment”.

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In other words, a hostile work environment is the sum of actions, communications or behaviors from a work acquaintance (colleague, boss, client, vendor) that alter the terms, conditions, or expectations of a comfortable workplace for an employee.

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Here are some ways that harassment can be perpetrated in the workplace:

Offensive jokes
Threats
Physical assaults
Name calling
Work interruptions
Mocking
Racial or ethnic slurs
Insults
Epithets
Offensive pictures

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Four Questions to Ask

Most successful hostile work environment lawsuits tell a similar tale.

Were the incidents unwelcome?
Were the incidents discriminatory towards a protected class?
Did the incidents occur repeatedly over a period of time?
Was the incident both objectively and subjectively hostile?

If the answers to these are all yes, you might be at risk of a lawsuit.

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