Blog Post: Lions, Tigers and Bosses, Oh no!

Ever feel like you are on the adventure of the Wizard of Oz? You are tying to follow the "yellow brick road of success" and all along the way you are faced with challenges that sometimes feel too big to handle. Considering the current employment situation, more and more people are telling me that they feel trapped in an increasingly hostile work environment.

What exactly is a hostile work environment? Well, recent law on hostile work environment harassment says that "bad behavior" can now constitute unlawful behavior, primarily to any protected class. So, it is now about "how" the behavior makes the victim "feel." What is important for both employees and employers to understand is that this is measured not by the intentions of the harasser or by the bias of the employee or employer. It is measured by the perception of the victim. So a hostile work environment is all about interpersonal behavior. Hence the sticky wicked.

Let's say that you feel that your boss is constantly questioning your work, leaving you out of meetings, screams at you in front of others and criticizing your every move? Is this a hostile work environment? Do you feel like a victim or is your boss an equal opportunity abuser? Hence the sticky wicked.

For me, I think the bottom line is that if you literally feel sick on Monday morning about going to work, something is wrong. If you get nauseated at the thought of having to communicate with your boss, something is wrong. Now, we have all had some creepy bosses (you may be a creepy boss. . .you know who you are) that just seem to be a pain from time to time. I am not talking about those. You can't expect to get along beautifully with everybody all of the time--we are people after all! I am talking about a work "atmosphere" that seriously effects your productivity, the ability to do your job well and enjoy the commodore of your colleagues.

In normal employment conditions, most people would simply start looking for another job and resign as soon as possible ( I hope), but this is not so easy in today's job market. So, I am asked "what can I do?" My advice would be to first try and have a conversation with your boss about your concerns and how you are feeling. Be prepared to provide some solutions and make sure your boss understands that you want to be as productive as you can. If that doesn't improve things somewhat (don't expect miracles) the next step would be to have a confidential conversation with someone in your Human Resources department. Perhaps they could look for another position within the company that you would be well suited for, or perhaps they can provide some guidance in dealing with a difficult boss, etc. My point being that you can and should do something! I can definitely advise you that now is a good time to be updating your resume, improving your skill sets, taking a class and networking. You will want to be "ready" when the job market improves to make a move.

You should let your Human Resource department know that you think you are working in a Hostile work environment as they need to know if this is a possibility. They will know what actions to take to investigate such an concern and will thank you for the 'heads up.'

Life is not fair, work is not usually a haven, and money doesn't grow on trees. Oh to be a kid again!!!

Doctor Bonnie