What is a hostile work environment?
We may think that we know it when we see it, but that’s not factually correct. A mean boss, gossipy coworkers with bad breath, and the absence of benefits and perks are all unpleasant work-life facts. However, in themselves, these factors do not prove the case. This is because to be legally hostile; there must be discrimination.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, monitors discrimination and determines the rules. Harassment is behavior that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Sometimes hostile behavior is instigated by the employer to push the employee to resign. For instance, this may occur when the employee has reported the employer for illegal behavior, and therefore the employer cannot fire the employee. It need not always be on the employer; union representatives or other employees can harass a new employee for refusing to sign up for the union.
What are the criteria for determining a hostile work environment?
A hostile work environment is a workplace so hostile that the worker fears going to work. Specifically:
Note: There must be discrimination only against the protected characteristic. If the manager (or another individual) was hostile regardless of sex, race, etc., then it’s quite legal. Really!
What to do if you have experienced a hostile work environment
If you are subject to a hostile work environment, the first step is to ask the offending employee to cease the bothersome behavior if possible. If you pursue a harassment complaint, your employer is required to investigate it promptly and impartially. The alleged harasser should not have control over this investigation. If you and the alleged harasser need to be physically separate during the investigation, this separation should not burden you as the person who made the complaint.
Note: A lawsuit on the grounds of a hostile work environment will not be successful if the employer had not been informed of the situation and allowed to resolve it.
How the company can defend itself against a charge of a hostile work environment
If the employer is otherwise liable, it can prove that it reasonably tried to prevent and correct the hostile behavior. The employer must also prove that the employee failed to pursue the employer's preventive and corrective opportunities.
For further information and legal advice, contact the EEOC's web site at http://www.eeoc.gov or an employment attorney.