Decoding the Impact of a Hostile Work Environment: Strategies for a Healthy Workplace Culture.

Who would not want to work in a joyful, safe and a friendly environment? Today, most of the working population spend more than eight hours a day at their workplace. But, are the workplaces providing the happy and respectful work environment to their employees? In the case of Gaurav Jain vs. Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (2015), the Delhi High Court stated that, “Sexual harassment at the workplace can also mean a hostile and oppressive work environment for a woman employee when power and authority from a male member of the organization are being used to force her to accompany him on his outstation travels and late-night meetings,” and “That sexual harassment covers myriad inappropriate behaviour, ranging from smoking in a female colleague’s presence to forcing her to stay in a male colleague’s hotel room for a work trip.”

A workplace can become hostile for a female employee under various circumstances. A workplace can turn into a hostile environment if the employee at an institution/organisation undergoes sexual harassment from her colleagues or her superiors. Sexually coloured remarks; physical contact and advances; showing pornography; a demand or request for sexual favours; any other unwelcome physical, verbal/non-verbal conduct being sexual in nature amounts to sexual harassment, and when these acts interfere with the female employee’s ability to work, reducing her performance, intermediating her peace of mind it amounts to sexual harassment by creating a hostile environment for her.

It is not only the sexual related harassment, also the gender-based discrimination against any female employee questioning her abilities, etc., primarily based on her gender creates a toxic work environment for a female employee. A hostile environment at workplace cripples the personal and professional growth of such employee which in turn will affect the company/business entity’s outcome.

Many entities have zero tolerance policy towards the sexual harassment at their workplace. However, there are still many companies out there that have to bring in some great revolutionary measures to address these issues at their workplace, which can be measures such as creating general awareness programs on the rights and legislations in place to protect women/female employees at their workplace; installing surveillance at the workplace; having healthy interactive sessions with their fellow colleagues, etc.

People are spending more time with their colleagues at their workplace than they actually spend with their families or friends. It would be overexaggerating to make the employees feel and treat their colleagues as their second family, but the institutions and the employees could come together to create a pleasant and healthy working environment which will in turn bring in the smile and enthusiasm on the face of the employees to happily and safely work at their workplace.