Signs of a Toxic Company Culture: How to Recognize a Hostile Workplace By Dan Atkerson on February 12, 2024

Working in a hostile environment can be incredibly damaging to virtually every aspect of your life. Unfortunately, many workplaces in the Dallas area have such a deeply entrenched culture of toxicity that it can be hard to realize that what you are dealing with on a daily basis is wrong.

In other situations, the behaviors that make a workplace toxic to be in can be so subtle that you may not recognize they are illegal without prior knowledge regarding what constitutes toxic company culture. In this short blog post, I discuss hostile workplace environment warning signs and what you can do. When you contact my Allen, TX, law firm, I can help you understand your legal options.

Signs of Sexual Harassment

Workplace sexual harassment can come in many forms. If anybody involved in your company is making unwanted, frequent sexual advances or is groping or touching you without consent, you are the victim of sexual harassment.

There are also many forms of workplace sexual harassment that do not involve direct sexual advances or physical contact. For example, sending out lewd calendars or posters could give you cause for an actionable lawsuit. Another form of digital sexual harassment is the texting or emailing of sexual content.

Indicators of Verbal Workplace Harassment

You deserve to work in peace without being discriminated against in any form. If your co-workers use racial slurs against you, even if they think they are joking, you are the victim of harassment. Furthermore, any type of negative remarks about your appearance, accent, or nationality can be the basis of a winning lawsuit.

Workplace Bullying Is Unacceptable

Your situation does not necessarily have to include any type of sexual harassment, sexism, or racism to be considered a hostile workplace. In fact, there are various types of illegal office bullying that are clearly illegal.

Examples of employee bullying include any threats of physical harm, constant and unfounded criticism, orders to do something humiliating, and repeated threats of being punished or fired.

Some forms of workplace bullying can be more complex, such as being given tasks that are impossible to complete during their allotted time frame. Sometimes, this may be done just to punish you or to make you fear for your job. I can draw upon decades of experience to determine if you are being illegally tormented by your supervisors or co-workers.

Severity and Consistency Matter

For a successful lawsuit revolving around a hostile work environment, the behavior in question must be both pervasive and severe. This means that it rises far above the level of petty annoyances, as it occurs over a long period of time and is so egregious that no normal person would believe it is acceptable.

Both pervasiveness and severity are up for interpretation. That is why it is important to hire a lawyer who deeply understands workplace law and has won many cases in this area. I have been handling these lawsuits since 1984, having achieved many six-figure discrimination and harassment verdicts and settlements.

Request Your Consultation

I am here to help clients from Allen, Frisco, and Plano identify wrongs in the workplace and help them seek the compensation they deserve. If you are reading this blog post and recognized the signs of a toxic workplace as something you are currently enduring, reach out for my help.