Hostile Work Environments: What You Want to Know But Are Afraid To Ask

When individuals walk or log in daily, they deserve (and expect!) to work in an environment where they feel respected, valued, and safe. Does that mean they won’t experience stress, tension, or conflict in the workplace? Of course not. That’s to be expected in any workplace, even ones with the healthiest cultures.

It becomes problematic when employees and/or leaders respond to everyday stressors and challenges in a negative and toxic manner. When this happens, it can result in a hostile work environment, a problem no one can afford to ignore. In fact, you’re likely reading this article right now because you likely already know that it’s a problem. 

In any case, below, you will find an explanation of what a hostile work environment is, a list of 22 telltale signs of one, as well as some of the latest and most eye-opening statistics on the topic.  

What Is a Hostile Work Environment?

A hostile work environment, sometimes referred to as a toxic or poisoned work environment, is defined by the Ontario Human Rights Commission as “a form of discrimination that can arise from even a single incident. It may be created by the comments or actions of any person, regardless of his or her status.” According to Deb Muller, CEO of employee regulation software company HR Acuity, in order for a work environment to be considered hostile, the signs/behaviors must be “pervasive, severe, and persistent, disruptive to an individual work, and something the employer knew about and did not adequately address.”

22 Telltale Signs of a Hostile Work Environment

Hostile cultures and environments come in many different forms. While some will be overtly hostile, others may be more passively toxic. In either case, these types of cultures will display one or more of the following signs:

• Harassment
• Discrimination
• Violence
• Bullying
• Aggression (physical force, breaking items/property, yelling, swearing, slamming doors)
• Victimization (singling an individual out for cruel or unfair treatment)
• Verbal abuse (insults, threats, humiliation, gaslighting, ridicule, silent treatment, name-calling)
• Unethical behaviors (lying, coercion, manipulation, exploitation, falsifying reports, not reporting incidents to regulators)
• Negligence
• Inadequate regulations and processes
• Sabotage
• Infighting and conflict
• Inappropriate/offensive humor
• Public shaming
• Unhealthy competition
• Favoritism
• Gossip and cliques
• Unwarranted scrutiny, punishment, or discipline 
• Impossible or unrealistic goals, tasks, or deadlines
• Disregard and disrespect for personal boundaries
• Intense micromanagement

Hostile Work Environment and Culture Statistics You Can’t Ignore

In 2014, Gary Chapman, the author of the bestselling Five Love Languages series, said, “When a workplace becomes toxic, its poison spreads beyond its walls and into the lives of its workers and their families.” Nearly a decade later, we have the research and statistics to back that up. Hostile work environments and toxic cultures aren’t just bad for the people who are a part of them; they’re also bad for business, and here’s proof of that.

• 87% of employees have experienced a workplace where a negative atmosphere - caused by coworkers, supervisors, and/or the company culture - made it difficult to work or progress in their job. (Career Plug)
• Nearly one in five workers say they face a hostile or threatening environment at work. Workers who have to face customers endure a disproportionate share of abuse. (Rand Corp., Harvard, and University of California)
• Negative workplace culture is 10.4 times more likely to contribute to an employee quitting. (MIT Sloan Management Review)
• 84% of employees are open to sticking it out at their current job if their employer worked to create a more positive environment. (Career Plug)
• Bad work cultures and environments cost American businesses $223 billion in the last five years. (SHRM)
• The risk of depression triples among employees who work in a toxic culture where they are bullied, demeaned, unappreciated, and worked past their breaking point. (The University of South Australia)
• Hostile work environments lead to an increase in depression, substance abuse, and other significant health issues. (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)
• 38% of employees say they decrease the quality of their work in a hostile work environment, 25% say they have taken their frustration out on customers, and 12% have simply left their jobs as a result of a hostile workplace. (Starred)
• In a study of 6,000 cardiologists, 75% said a hostile work environment adversely affected their professional activities with colleagues, while 53% reported a negative impact on relationships with their patients. (John Hopkins)