A work environment in which an employee experiences both subtle and aggressive harassment, where the employee fears and loathes work can be best described as a hostile work environment. Employees in companies and organizations are quick to build opinions and love to hate and single out their colleagues for the slightest of ‘aberrations’. This makes life and survival extremely tough for singled out employees and those facing the brunt of hostilities. Passing offensive comments on a colleague’s physical appearance, blatantly refusing to dish out professional assistance, usage of profanities, threats of physical violence, etc. make for examples of work related hostilities. If you believe you are working in a hostile work environment and are finding it brain numbingly tough to survive in the same, don’t fret because help for you is here. Read on for tips on surviving in a hostile work environment. With the successful application of these tips, survival may not be as tough as it seems.
How To Survive Hostile Work Environment
-
One of the best ways to ensure you survive in a hostile work environment is to maintain a certain degree of silence. This way you minimize the chances of confrontation and even reduce the risk of burning bridges.
-
Although, it’s advisable to stay silent and calm at the office, this does not mean you remain passive about injustices against you. It is a must to stand up for yourself when you feel the need to.
-
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer! You’ve probably familiar with adage, but the fact remains that its implementation works extremely well in a hostile work environment. Attempting to befriend your enemies will almost guarantee your survival in a hostile environment.
-
Think about the reasons for people’s hatred towards you. Ask yourself if your actions or words have been offending your colleagues? If yes, strive to correct your hatred-stirring behavior.
-
If you think a colleague or superior is nursing a grudge against you, it’s advisable for you to initiate a confrontation, but do so peacefully. Also, make it a point to isolate the respective colleague or superior. You don’t want to initiate confrontations in front of the others.
-
If you believe you have wronged a colleague or a group of colleagues, it is best you debug the animosity by apologizing for your ‘wrongs’.
-
When working in a hostile work environment, always stay on your guard. You don’t want to be caught saying things about people you shouldn’t have even been talking about in the first place.
-
As far as possible, focus on your work. Once you have managed to pull this feat off, hostilities will seem less important and work more interesting.
-
Ensure you maintain a professional relationship with the ‘haters’ at your office. Don’t ever stop talking to a colleague. It can prove to be professionally harmful. A superficial professional relationship is the way to go here.
-
If your colleagues when making a display of their hatred are more aggressive and less subtle, the best thing for you to do is to escalate the issue. Here, suffering is silence is not even an option.
-
To beat the hatred at work, try thinking about life outside of work. Think about friends, members of your family and loved ones. This will help you cope with the bitterness at your office.
