If you are unfortunate enough to be working in a hostile work environment then much of this post is sadly all too familiar to you. I too have experienced this more than once. I unfortunately learned that each hostile work environment was different and the actions I took in one did not work as in the previous experience, so I was forced to change my tactics with each instance. In this post, I will highlight the most common instances and show you some guidelines to follow that will work in most every situation.

1.
Art
of
the
W ingman
for
Business
is
dedicated
to
the
businesswomen
and
businessmen
who
seek
greatness
beyond
their
own
and
find
their
successes
through
helping
others
succeed.
The
Business
Wingman
follows
the
path
of
the
selfless
person.
Surviving
a
Hostile
Work
Environment
Key
Points
• Speak
up
but
don’t
stand
out
• Block
out
the
negativity
and
stay
on
course
• Give
yourself
a
deadline
for
change,
then
move
on
If
you
are
unfortunate
enough
to
be
working
in
a
hostile
environment
then
much
of
this
post
is
sadly
all
too
familiar
to
you.
I
too
have
experienced
this
more
than
once.
I
unfortunately
learned
that
each
hostile
work
environment
was
different
and
the
actions
I
took
in
one
did
not
work
as
in
the
previous
experience,
so
I
was
forced
to
change
my
tactics
with
each
instance.
In
this
post,
I
will
highlight
the
most
common
instances
and
show
you
some
guidelines
to
follow
that
will
work
in
most
every
situation.
Hostile
work
environments
have
different
characteristics
but
many
people
associate
it
with
the
literal
environment,
meaning
your
office
or
workplace.
Many
characterize
it
as
having
poor
office
conditions
or
even
little
to
no
in-­‐office
perks
or
privileges.
I
certainly
believe
that
those
are
true
but
let’s,
for
the
sake
of
the
broader
audiences,
identify
behavioral
or
situational
characteristics.
Here
is
why…
in
larger
companies,
it
is
much
harder
to
change
the
condition
of
your
office
and
amenities
inside,
than
to
change
the
attitudes
and
behaviors
of
its
employees.
According
to
the
Human
Resources
section
of
About.com,
they
clearly
define
the
legal
guidelines
around
a
hostile
work
environment.
I
feel
that
this
definition
gives
the
best
answer,
as
it
is
clear
and
straightforward.
Below
is
a
section
straight
out
of
that
article.
A
hostile
work
environment
is
created
by
a
boss
or
coworker
whose
actions,
communication,
or
behavior
make
doing
your
job
impossible.
This
means
that
the
behavior
altered
the
terms,
conditions,
and/or
reasonable
expectations
of
a
comfortable
work
environment
for
employees.
Additionally,
the
behavior,
actions
or
communication
must
be
discriminatory
in
nature.

2. So,
a
coworker
who
talks
loudly,
snaps
her
gum,
and
leans
over
your
desk
when
she
talks
with
you,
is
demonstrating
inappropriate,
rude,
obnoxious
behavior,
but
it
does
not
create
a
hostile
work
environment.
On
the
other
hand,
a
coworker
who
tells
sexually
explicit
jokes
and
sends
around
images
of
nude
people
is
guilty
of
sexual
harassment
and
creating
a
hostile
work
environment.
A
boss
who
verbally
berates
you
about
your
age,
your
religion,
your
gender,
or
your
race
may
be
guilty
of
creating
a
hostile
work
environment.
This
is
especially
true
if
you
asked
the
individual
to
stop
and
the
behavior
continues.
1) Speak
up
but
don’t
stand
out
If
you
are
unfortunate
to
have
just
identified
yourself
entering
or
have
unhappily
been
surviving
a
hostile
work
environment
and
have
not
spoken
up
about
it,
then
this
section
is
for
you.
My
advice
to
you
is
that
you
need
to
take
the
courage
and
speak
up
about
the
problem.
There
is
a
right
way
and
wrong
way
to
speak
up.
• The
right
way:
seek
out
someone
in
management
or
in
human
resources
that
you
trust
and
speak
openly
to
them
about
your
situation.
Ask
them
for
their
advice
and
their
support
if
this
does
move
to
a
formal
complaint.
You
will
need
advocates
to
help
you
stay
on
top
of
the
situation
and
those

3. •
advocates
will
help
you
also
to
decide
on
how
to
move
forward
and
not
risk
alienating
yourself.
The
wrong
way:
seek
out
the
advice
of
your
work
friends
and
colleagues
and
continue
to
communicate
to
the
workplace
that
you
are
upset,
that
you
have
been
harassed
and
that
you
are
pointing
out
people
in
the
public
spotlight.
This
is
absolutely
the
wrong
way
to
do
things.
All
this
does
is
let
people
know
that
you
are
distracted
in
the
workplace
and
are
the
victim.
This
opens
you
up
to
scrutiny
from
management
and
isolation
from
your
co-­‐workers.
This
also
starts
a
chain
a
rumors
and
unwanted
judgment
on
your
actions.
2) Block
out
the
negativity
and
stay
on
course
If
you
have
decided
to
not
speak
up
about
your
situation,
have
decided
to
power
through
the
problem
or
have
decided
to
wait
for
it
to
work
itself
out,
no
matter
the
reason,
then
you
have
made
your
decision
and
you
need
to
stick
with
it.
With
that
said,
it’s
important
to
follow
2
key
pieces
of
advice:
• Do
what
you
can
to
block
out
the
negativity
from
your
workday
and
don’t
succumb
to
spreading
rumors
and
talking
bad
about
people
• Stay
the
course
and
just
work
hard.
If
the
situation
escalates
in
any
way,
make
sure
that
you
have
this
accolade
working
for
you.
It’s
hard
for
a
company
to
reprimand
you
when
you
produce
results.
3) Give
yourself
a
deadline
for
change,
then
move
on
If
you
have
painfully
lived
through
a
hostile
work
environment
and
feel
that
you
just
have
had
enough,
it’s
important
to
give
yourself
a
deadline
on
whether
or
not
to
leave
the
company
and
move
on.
Like
many
other
things,
it’s
easy
to
procrastinate
and
continue
to
give
yourself
excuses
to
why
you
should
still
stay
and
so
on.
The
smart
choice
to
say
(for
example),
“
I
am
giving
myself
just
2
months
and
if
I
don’t
see
any
action,
then
I
am
going
to
move
on
and
put
in
my
2
weeks.”
If
you
feel
that
this
is
the
best
course
of
action,
then
give
yourself
a
deadline
and
when
that
day
comes
and
you
are
still
in
the
fire,
get
out
and
move
on.
Because
we
have
all
experienced
hostile
work
environments
in
our
careers,
we
can
easily
assume
that
others
will
have
experienced
this
too
or
soon
will
experience
this.
Your
role
as
the
Business
Wingman
is
to
help
others
in
need
and
be
that
outlet.
Help
guide
your
team
to
success
and
never
let
anyone
have
to
endure
what
you
have
had
to
endure
yourself.
Visit
our
blog
at
http://www.artofthewingman.com.