4 Ways to Hold Your Abusive Workplace Accountable
Is there such a thing as an abusive workplace? The answer is yes. How do I know? Because I worked in an abusive and toxic work environment for 7+ years of my young adult life. I was 20 years old when I started with the company.
I was a single mom and was getting paid a decent living considering I did not have my college degree. I knew nowhere else would pay me what I was making, so I dealt with the drama and maltreatment for years. It affected me negatively without me even realizing it until I was promoted and put in a normal work environment. It wasn’t until I started the new job that I realized how toxic my old work environment was.
An abusive work environment is defined as harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, victimization, violence, and other offensive or inappropriate behaviors that qualify as unwelcome conduct. All will create a hostile work environment if they're happening consistently or purposefully, or in the case of a single incident, if they're severe.
1 in 5 people in the United States has experienced a hostile work environment. If you believe that your workplace is toxic, chances are one or more of your colleagues feel the same way.
The last 9 to 5 job I had, before becoming an entrepreneur, started out great but management changed and that's when all the issues arose. I had a manager who used to constantly harass me. I would ask for raises and promotions. But she always said no and that I wasn’t ready. I was doing the same work as all my colleagues, but because I didn’t have my college degree they refused to pay me more. Mind you, I was only months away from earning my Bachelor’s degree.
If I made one mistake, she made sure to let me know about it, and was unforgiving. She would ignore me unless my coworkers were around. Behind closed doors she was mean but in front of everyone, she was kind. I never knew who I would get on any given day. It got so bad that I started having really bad anxiety and migraines because I got so stressed out about seeing her and being around her. I got along with everyone on my team except her.
I filed a complaint about her with our HR department but because she was an executive in the company, my complaint was ignored and never looked into. This was the first issue with this toxic work environment. The company did not hold people in power accountable for their actions. There should be a zero-tolerance policy for bullying/harassment at organizations, even if its executive level management.
An unhappy workplace has characteristics such as people experiencing burnout symptoms, people arguing often, and employees complaining they’re underpaid or underappreciated. And there are many more other signs that clearly point to job dissatisfaction, such as absenteeism, lack of resources, job insecurity brought by layoffs, etc. In a hostile work environment, you’re more likely to see fear, apprehension, and official complaints to HR about bullying or discrimination.
I found this article at https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/hostile-work-environment-signs-fixes, and it states to avoid a toxic work environment. You need to know how to:
1. Identify hostile behaviors.
2. Approach the hostile party in the right manner.
3. Support victimized coworkers.
4. Ensure compliance with anti-harassment policies.
5. Assess and monitor hostile situations.
6. Implement the grievance procedure.
I am not entirely satisfied with their solutions though. I feel most people are too scared or intimidated to speak to their bosses about these issues like I was. I was terrified that I would get retaliated against if I said anything. If you’d like to follow the above suggestions, great. But here is what I did:
I kept a log of everything my manager would do and say to me. No matter how big or small, document everything. This is your proof of harassment. Document the time, date, location, and description of what happened.
Talk to your colleagues about it. I held it in for a long time because I was embarrassed. But lo and behold, once I started opening up to my co-workers about it, I found out they were experiencing similar issues with the same manager. Remember, your silence only protects your abuser.
File a complaint with your HR department. Write everything in emails so you have a paper trail behind you. I had proof of reaching out to my HR department several times and they never responded to my emails. This will help you if you need to escalate the issue.
If your HR department failed you, as mine did, take it higher and reach out to your inspector general or law department. These entities will force the other departments to respond and work with you. I hate to use the “I will sue you” route but sometimes that is the only way to get people to move.
Advocate for yourself. If you do not advocate for yourself, no one else will. Do what you have to do to have peace in your life. We all deserve that, especially in a work environment. In fact, it’s your employer’s duty to ensure you are in a healthy and safe work environment. Just like they are supposed to have fire extinguishers and safety exits to keep you safe. They are also responsible for ensuring your mental health is safe too from abusive co-workers.
If you feel you are a part of a toxic work environment and need help, feel free to reach out to us at info@womenrisechicago.org
Written by Jennifer Ramirez
&Rise Founder
