Hostile Work Environment Red Flags To Look For

A hostile work environment refers to blatant discriminatory behavior from colleagues and employers. The characteristics of a toxic workplace environment may include verbal or physical harassment, favoritism, and lack of transparency.

It is reasonably straightforward for an outsider to recognize hostile workplace behavior; however, it may not be so simple for an employee who is used to the environment. Most employees tend to brush off any discomfort they may experience at work due to various reasons. Employees may be afraid of voicing out their complaints as they fear it may lead to them being demoted or even fired.

However, this is not to say that employees must endure hostile behavior towards them for the sake of keeping a job. According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employees and new incumbents have the right to a fair, non-discriminatory, and non-toxic work environment.

Workers who experience such hostility must report their claim to the EEOC through the assistance of an employment law attorney. Should you be a victim of such behavior, you can contact the Missouri HKM law firm to get expert advice from a legal representative.

Here are five hostile work environment red flags to look for in the workplace.

Lack of Communication

Lack of transparency or sketchy details regarding your duties and tasks as an employee is a major red flag. Communication is vital for employees to execute their daily tasks and KPIs satisfactorily. Without a clear job description, you as an employee are at risk of failing to perform your duties.

Extreme Micro-Management

Micro-management is not a bad technique for employers to use if an incumbent is new in their position or has minimal experience in the field. However, it can be a red flag if management imposes it on senior staff members.

Most senior employees dislike the feeling of always having someone watching their every move. The excessive control over their duties may make them feel distrusted, and their abilities questioned. Extreme micro-management may make employees uncomfortable to the point where they make silly mistakes.

Low Workplace Morale

Team building is a crucial element in every workplace environment. It helps build good relations amongst employees and boost their motivation to do well. A toxic work environment lacks good workplace morale, discouraging open communication and teamwork.

Many employees fail at performing their duties simply because they did not ask a college or senior staff member for assistance.

Lack of Recognition

As humans, we all like to feel recognized and appreciated for our hard work. Getting praised at work motivates us to do better and thus excel in our positions. The lack of employee recognition in the workplace discourages workers from going the extra mile.

Employees who do not receive any form of recognition for their work often tend to do the bare minimum in their positions.

Unfair Opportunities For Growth

Another big red flag to look out for is favoritism in the form of growth opportunities available for a select group of people. If you hear that someone has been promoted or employed in a new position without the vacancy open to everyone, that is hostile workplace behavior.

Workplace unfairness also extends to instances of discrimination. For example, gender-based discriminations can include unfair paternity leave entitlements, lack of opportunities, and even unfair dismissal.

Hostile behavior is not uncommon in the workplace. However, it does become less visible to employees who have worked there for a long time. Hopefully, the five red flags above have made you more conscious of the toxicity in your workplace, and you will now have a better understanding of workplace hostility and how to tackle it.