Hostile Working Environments Are Dangerous

Some call it being too sensitive. Others call it not being able to take a joke. Most still believe that men are somehow supposed to be these loudmouth people with no heart or soul. Somehow men are meant to be strong and never show emotions, and they are supposed to support other men who feed into this toxic masculinity. However, some know better. Some people recognize that any gender, not just women, can show an array of emotions. Men can be soft-spoken and they can have emotions. Women aren’t just the ones who cry but can be bold and hard headed. It is when people start to feed into stereotypes or inappropriate behavior that makes people start to feel uncomfortable.

What Are Hostile Work Environments?

Did you ever imagine the same bullies you dealt with in high school following you into the workplace? Probably not because like most people maturity usually comes with age and experience. However, that isn’t always the case and it isn’t fair. When people joke about a hostile work environment it is typically because someone made a joke that went too far or their boss asked them to do work that was not required. But those are typically isolated incidents that were not really intentional and were more than likely corrected by natural pressure from others in the workplace. In the legal sense, a hostile work environment is more severe.

A hostile work environment means that there is unwelcomed harassment based on race, sexual orientation, color, religion, age, disability, or genetic information. The behavior must be pervasive, extreme, and offensive. The hostile behavior must continue to the point where a reasonable person would agree that the work environment is not safe for someone to work. A reasonable person would consider the environment to be hostile, abusive, or intimidating. The harasser can be identified as the victim’s supervisor, or supervisor for another department or area, a person within the employment work area, a co-worker or a non-employee. The victim does not have to be the center of the harassment. The victim can be someone who is a bystander but also deeply affected by the harassment. As long as the harassment is unlawful, it does not matter if there wasn’t any economic injury to the victim.

What To Do?

If you have recognized a hostile work environment you must do all the steps necessary to remedy the situation. You must alert your HR and management as well as try to discuss with the person who is creating a hostile environment. Keep a paper trail of all the discussions or attempts at discussions. Then call 310-527-6994 or click here to speak with our Pasadena Hostile Work Environment Attorneys at Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers. Over our years serving the Pasadena area we have had great success in these kinds of cases. Know that you are not alone and this is not our first case. Reach out to start a consultation with us today.