Do’s and Don’t in a Work Place
The environment at work can be very stressful for an individual who is not getting the appropriate treatment. The treatment can come from individuals with higher positions or your workmates. This may make you feel like the kid in high school everyone seems to dislike and constantly picks on.
Inappropriate treatment at the workplace may take a toll on you mentally, emotionally, and socially. You may feel out of place and unwanted. Most people may think of quitting their jobs, but they convince themselves that being out of a job is worse than going through what they are going through. You understand that there is nothing wrong with you; some people carried their playground tactics into adulthood.
Some of the inappropriate treatment at work include:
- Bullying by fellow workmates
- Discrimination because of your gender, race, or other factors
- Sexual harassment
- Retaliation from supervisors or the employer
- Belittling from your workmates or even boss
- Threats coming from people in the workplace
- People at the workplace mocking you because of your features, the way you talk, or the way you do your work
These situations can turn ugly, especially if many people at the workplace are doing it to you and have no one in your corner. Know how to handle this kind of situation, so they do not turn ugly. You can do this by:
1. Report Sexual Harassment
If you think sexual harassment is only when you ask for sex so you can advance in your career, you are wrong. It also includes comments, innuendos, leering, sexually explicit pictures, inappropriate touching, and unwelcome conduct towards you based on sex. It may be severe, but that does not change the fact that sexual harassment is going on.
The law covers employees in the private and the public sector from all kinds of sexual harassment. It provides a code of conduct for employers to make sure they do all necessary to prevent this from occurring. It emphasizes that the person does not have to be higher in rank. It can come from your co-worker or even a customer or a client.
If someone in the workplace sexually harasses you, the right thing is to report them. Most places of work have channels you can follow to make sure that you take against that person.
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2. Hire a Lawyer
If you think that hiring a lawyer because of the discrimination and retaliation you are going through at the workplace is a little too much, you are wrong. This is because those two actions are bad, and there are laws and policies in place to protect you from going through that.
In Australia, most of the discrimination occurs because of disabilities, sex, race, and immigration. The statistics given by the Australian Human Rights Commission are shocking, and it is sad to think that people still have to face such situations. It isn’t good when you get dismissed from work because of reporting such incidents. If you are on the East Coast, make sure you find unfair dismissal lawyers based in Gold Coast to help you get justice. The good thing is that you should not worry about paying them before you find out the outcome of your case.
3. Prevention is Better Than Cure
When looking for employment, you must find out if the employers have put policies and regulations in place to avoid inappropriate situations. Organizations and employers that do not have such guidelines should be a red flag that you do not want to ignore. Please research the company to know if they have had such cases before and what the outcome was. It will help you avoid getting into sticky situations that you have a way of navigating.
How they treat you at work is very important to your state of mind. If it is okay, you will not suffer the emotional and mental torture of a toxic workplace. If you are going through this, the above tips will help you know what you need to do.
4. Quit
Your peace of mind is essential. If you do not have it, it takes a toll on you and even your family, as they are around you when you get back from your toxic work environment. Other aspects of your life suffer because of what you are going through at work. To avoid this, quit. It may not be as simple as that, but it is something that you need to do. Before you do so, check for things in your life that are likely to be affected. Will you be able to pay rent or keep your pet? If not, what do you have to do to make sure you leave your job and still keep these things?
