Harassment in hostile environments is physical, verbal, or sexual harassment in professional settings that interferes with normal operations. Sexual, verbal, and physical harassment can all contribute. Context, intent, and results matter when determining if actions qualify as harassment.
Harassment in hostile environments is unwelcome – and often illegal – physical, verbal, or sexual harassment in the workplace, classroom, or other professional setting. If a person repeatedly tries to block another employee’s movements, pushes or otherwise touches them repeatedly with hostility, this may be classified as hostile environmental harassment. The same goes for sexual harassment with unwanted hugs, sexually suggestive gifts, or jokes. Verbal harassment can also contribute to or become this type of harassment, whether a person intentionally aims to offend or not. This type of harassment usually has to happen in a professional setting and interfere with normal workplace operations or learn to be considered harassment in a hostile environment.
Sexual harassment in the workplace or school can create a hostile environment, whether the harassment is overt or covert. This type of harassment can be casual such as sexual jokes, light flirting, or inappropriate hand gestures that make another person feel uncomfortable and unable to work or learn properly. Sexual harassment can also be overt such as forcibly kissing and touching, making suggestive comments about another person’s body, or repeatedly asking a person out on a date. Sometimes these types of actions are obviously not unwelcome or are not considered inappropriate, but they can still be considered contributing to a harassing situation in a hostile environment if the behavior is typically considered outside the norm or if the recipient has made it clear that they do not he liked the behavior.
Verbal harassment can also be subtle or overt. There are various forms of communication that can be considered verbal, such as text messages, phone calls, and emails. Like sexual harassment, when judging whether or not a joke, statement or comment is considered harassment, context is taken into account. If the verbal abuse interferes in any way with an employee’s or student’s work or academic performance, it can also be classified as hostile environmental harassment. Similar to sexual harassment, verbal harassment is often illegal, although the legality depends on the specific region and situation.
Physical harassment in the workplace or school can also be harmful to other people and their performance. Some examples of physical harassment that can fall under harassment in hostile environments are pushing, pulling, or blocking someone’s way. Repeatedly bumping or brushing someone in an obviously intentional way can also contribute. Again, the context, intent, and results of the behavior matter most when determining whether the actions qualify as hostile environmental harassment.
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