A hostile work environment leads to various challenges and hostile situations at work, limiting workers from performing their jobs effectively. It can be a major issue for companies as it negatively affects employee satisfaction, productivity and engagement. Here are some ways to combat a hostile work environment and create a better workplace culture.
What causes a hostile work environment?
A worker with a bad habit or someone who consistently hurts or bothers another worker doesn’t lead to a hostile work environment.
As per the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a truly hostile work environment should meet specific legal criteria, such as:
- Hurtful conduct, harassment depending on religion, race, gender, pregnancy, country, age, genetics, disability or ethnicity.
- If the harassment is consistent and long-lasting
- Conduct is harsh enough to intimidate the work environment.
Hindered work performance
To cause a hostile work environment, a worker should be able to show if the activities and words of a coworker or supervisor make it tough to perform their task efficiently. It may involve harsh, unwelcoming and pervasive behavior, verbal talks or activities that make it difficult for workers to perform their duties properly.
Discrimination happens
The supervisor or coworker who develops hostile workplace situations must showcase consistent discriminatory behavior. Discriminatory behavior means discriminating against workers based on race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion and age.
Manhandling hasn’t occurred
If a worker is creating a hostile work environment, there is a chance that someone in the office has witnessed or been notified of it. After reporting, the manager or employer has to address the problem immediately and efficiently and resolve it.
Burden of proof
For a hostile work environment proof, lawmakers are needed to consider the employee’s experience reporting it to ensure it meets the specific criteria to report a case. It means the proof burden falls on the victim to set up a proper claim.
Tips to develop a positive workplace environment
A major part of establishing a secure workplace environment is avoiding harassment from occurring initially. Here are some effective tips to help you create a positive workplace environment to prevent hostility and harassment:
Give your employees equal value
Fostering a sense of welcome and security for employees (while promoting a safe environment for reporting harassment concerns) involves establishing a culture that values and encourages employee voices and ideas. This entails ensuring that each individual feels empowered to leverage their strengths within the organization and that, as a manager, you genuinely believe in their competence and contribution.
One effective strategy is maintaining an open office door policy during specific times each day, demonstrating your accessibility. Encouraging idea-sharing further reinforces your respect for their insights. You can achieve this by actively seeking their input in decision-making processes or inviting collaboration on significant projects. These initiatives collectively contribute to an inclusive work environment that fosters a sense of satisfaction and dedication among your team members.
Foster clear and transparent communication
Communication helps drive a positive workplace environment. It is important because, in a poor workplace environment, a h2 first step for the victim is to assess the employee’s behaviour suspiciously and let them know it’s unsuitable and unwelcome. In an environment with free-flowing communication, such interaction comes with grace.
It is also essential to establish two-way communication with workers as a leader. It can be done by giving every worker individual time periodically, setting up essential communication channels and being available to everyone in a reliable and trustworthy way.
Establishing recognition programs
Recognizing and appreciating the commendable efforts of employees enhances their sense of value, trust, and belonging within the team. This recognition can be expressed through various means, such as acknowledging an employee’s accomplishments during a staff meeting or implementing structured recognition initiatives encompassing incentives and rewards. These practices are integral for organizations aspiring to cultivate a culture of achievement.
While it’s important to acknowledge that workplace discrimination may persist despite these efforts, fostering an environment where employees feel esteemed and content with their roles can contribute to reducing the likelihood of hostile behaviors.
Making work fun
Happy employees perform better than the ones less happy. As a leader, it is your duty to maintain a professional and happy environment in the office during the workday.
A good way to do it is by encouraging workers to keep it light sometimes, decorating their workspace, and offer breaks. This will make them more productive and happy. You can also prompt a culture of friendly competition between workers by hosting contests with special prizes, say a gift card.
So, using the effective methods mentioned above, you can create a trustworthy and reliable workplace environment without hesitation. It wipes out chances of hostile workplace situations and increases the worker’s engagement, productivity and retention.