A hostile work environment is created when an employer or colleague behaves in such a way that it is difficult or impossible for an employee to continue working. A hostile work environment is often considered a form of harassment.
What Makes a Hostile Work Environment?
Below are five actions that can accidentally, or on purpose, make for a hostile work environment, and how to resolve them:
- Verbal abuse or physical threats against an employee’s well-being. It goes without saying that yelling, swearing, or making verbal threats of physical harm towards an employee will create a hostile work environment. Violence itself is not necessary, the fear of harm may be enough.
- Insulting or degrading comments based on the personal characteristics set out in the Ontario Human Rights Code. Comments or actions that are unwelcome and based on personal traits like race, age, gender, religion or family status, to name a few, will create a hostile work environment.
- Unwelcome sexual remarks or contact, leering, unwelcome requests for dates, displays of sexually offensive pictures, or the spreading of sexual rumours. In addition to creating a hostile work environment, such behavior may also result in a claim of sexual harassment.
- Conduct that intimidates, humiliates or demeans an employee. Insults, name calling, or the spreading of rumours can amount to workplace bullying, and a hostile work environment.
- Targeting a particular employee by providing them with excessive and unjustified criticism, impossible goals and deadlines, or sabotaging the employee’s work. Such behavior is conducted in bad faith and is another form of bullying.
It is the employer’s responsibility to address and prevent conduct that has created a hostile work environment. An employee faced with a hostile work environment should report any harassing behavior to a superior. Once the employer is made aware of the allegations of harassment, there is an obligation on the employer to investigate and resolve the situation.
Employers are required to prevent hostile work environments from developing. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers with five or more employees are required to prepare a workplace policy about workplace violence and harassment. Employers must also develop and maintain a written program to implement the policy, which must include measures and procedures as to how workers are to report workplace harassment, as well as setting out how incidents or complaints will be investigated and dealt with.
Finally, if an employee is subjected to behavior that is in violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the employer may be faced with a human rights claim if they allow the hostile work environment to continue or develop. Employers should take allegations of a hostile work environments seriously, and also be pro-active in fostering a safe and healthy work environment.
What is an example of a hostile environment?
Think of a workplace where unwelcome conduct is the norm—not the exception. One employee constantly makes sexual jokes about another’s appearance. A manager repeatedly undermines a team member’s work due to their gender identity or national origin. Or maybe it’s the everyday verbal abuse that goes unchecked. These are all hostile work environment examples. A reasonable person would call it what it is: offensive behaviour that creates a toxic atmosphere and interferes with an employee’s ability to do their job.
A hostile work environment isn’t always explosive. Sometimes it’s quiet—felt in the silence after reporting sexual harassment and being ignored. Or in the way individual employees are excluded from meetings, passed over for promotions, or singled out for mistakes no one else is punished for. In short: if the work environment makes you dread coming in, it’s time to pay attention.
What can I do if I am in a hostile work environment?
First, document everything—unwelcome behaviour, hostile comments, patterns of unfair treatment. Save emails. Record dates. Collect evidence. Then, report the issue through formal human resources channels. If your company has training sessions or open communication channels, use them—but don’t rely on them alone.
If your hostile workplace environment continues unchecked—or worse, if you’re retaliated against for trying to take measures to address the unwelcome behaviour—you may be dealing with a true hostile work environment under Ontario law, and you should consider speaking to an experienced employment lawyer who can help you understand your rights, explore legal options, and protect your well being.
What constitutes a hostile work environment in Canada?
Not every bad boss or snippy coworker creates a hostile work environment. To meet the legal threshold in Canada, the hostile behaviour must be serious, repetitive, and damaging—typically rooted in discrimination or harassment. It includes unwelcome or offensive behavior tied to a protected class—such as racial discrimination, gender discrimination, sexual orientation, or age discrimination. If employees feel uncomfortable, threatened, or targeted because of who they are, that’s more than bad culture. That’s a breach of their rights.
Importantly, hostile work isn’t defined by a single bad day. Isolated incidents don’t usually qualify. But a pattern of toxic workplace behaviour—especially if your employer knows and does nothing—may legally be considered hostile. And that opens the door to a legal remedy.
What qualifies as a toxic work environment?
Toxicity shows up in the little things—until they’re no longer little. Constant criticism without direction. Gossip treated as gospel. Unequal treatment masked as “just how things are.” It could be a lack of support, a culture of fear, or inappropriate behaviour that goes unchecked. When workplace bullying, hostile conduct, or unwanted sexual advances become routine, you’re no longer in a productive workplace. You’re in a damaging one.
A toxic workplace has a ripple effect. It erodes job satisfaction, impacts work performance, and undermines organizational goals. When employees feel devalued, silenced, or targeted, the fallout isn’t just personal—it’s legal. This kind of workplace hostility has consequences.
How to tell HR about a toxic work environment?
Start with clarity. Avoid general complaints—focus on facts. Describe specific hostile behaviour, who was involved, and how it affected you. Use precise language: unwelcome behaviour, discriminatory conduct, sexual harassment, unfair treatment. Then put it in writing. HR is more likely to act when there’s a paper trail.
Don’t just hope for change—ask for it. Inquire about what steps the company will take to investigate and address the issue. Request follow-up. And if nothing improves—or if disciplinary actions are directed at you instead of the aggressor—it’s time to consult legal counsel. You’re not just raising a complaint; you’re defending your right to a safe and respectful work environment.
What does toxic leadership look like?
Toxic leadership isn’t always about shouting. Sometimes it’s subtle: shutting down input, hoarding decisions, rewarding inappropriate behavior, or isolating one or more employees. It’s a manager who uses fear instead of trust, hierarchy instead of open communication. They might prioritize loyalty over competence—or create decision making processes that consistently disadvantage certain people.
This style of leadership fuels workplace hostility. It breeds silence, stalls progress, and turns ambition into anxiety. Over time, employees feel unsafe, undervalued, or defeated. That’s not poor management—that’s a legal risk. And when leadership creates a hostile workplace or enables harassment, it’s time to hold them accountable.
You Deserve a Workplace That Respects You
A hostile work environment isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s unacceptable. Whether you’re facing workplace sexual harassment, discriminatory conduct, or a leadership culture that silences and undermines, know this: you’re not powerless, and you’re not alone. When the work environment compromises your well being, your job satisfaction, or your basic right to be treated with dignity, it’s time to act.
At Whitten & Lublin, we help empower employees to take control of their situation. Our legal team will assess your concerns, explain your rights, and guide you toward real solutions.
Don’t let unwelcome conduct define your work life. Take back your power. Call us today at (416) 640-2667 or contact us online to book a consultation..
Author: Whitney Manfro, Whitten & Lublin
