There is nothing worse than going to work every day only to be met with a hostile environment, which leaves you counting down the minutes until you can escape and return to your safe haven at home. No person should have to go through this. If you are currently experiencing a hostile working environment, read on to discover some helpful tips on coping with it and the action you should take.
Address the problem directly with the person that is causing it – This can be difficult, especially if there are a few people that have caused the problem. However, you need to pluck up the courage and speak to the person or people that are making you feel this way. Make sure you think about what you are going to say beforehand and have examples of instances whereby the person has made you feel a certain way. For example, if someone talks to you in a vulgar manner, make sure you have some instances to back up what you are saying. Of course, you could wait for them to say something and then choose this moment to address them.
Talk to HR and management – If the issues still continues, then you need to escalate it. If you have an HR department, this would be your first port of call. If you don’t, you can go straight to your manager. You can do this anyway but you still need to make sure HR are in the loop. When you talk to your manager, try to remain professional and calm. An emotional scene won’t help your case. Be prepared and, again, give specific examples. Make sure your management is accountable for rectifying the situation. It is their responsibility.
Know your legal rights – If the problem is still persisting, you should seek legal advice for employment cases like this. It could be that you have a right to take the situation up with the courts, especially if your employer has not done what is required to diffuse the situation. Or, could it be that it is your employer that has created the hostile environment to begin with?
Look for another job – Last but not least, you are probably thinking why should I have to look for another job? It is true – you shouldn’t be put out of your place of work. However, if you really do not see the situation improving, looking for a new job is probably the best thing to do. After all, you need to be happy in your place of work for your own sake.
As you can see, there are a number of different options available to you in terms of coping with a hostile working environment. Hopefully, one of the suggestions that have been provided above will help you to deal with the situation so that it can change for the better sooner rather than later.
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