A hostile workplace is generally defined as a work environment that harbors discriminatory behavior or harassment. This type of behavior does not need to affect all of its employees; only one person may need to be negatively affected by the environment for it to be considered a hostile workplace. Other names for a hostile workplace may include intimidating work environment, abusive work environment and an offensive work environment.

When referring to workplace harassment, many believe that the offending agent has to be a boss, employee or coworker. However, anyone involved or in contact with the workplace can be considered to be an antagonist. Clients, independent contractors, guests or even third-party vendors can make a workplace inhospitable to an employee.

Unfortunately, there are no blanket laws against hostile workplaces. However, the circumstances under which a hostile workplace is formed can be illegal. For example, harassment or bullying that takes place because of someone's race, religion, color, nationality, age, sex or disability may be grounds for legal scrutiny and penalty. Typically, workplace harassment due to these factors generally has to be severe, pervasive and must occur repeatedly for it to be interpreted as a serious legal matter. In addition, the bullied employee must endure the harassment under the assumption that he has to for fear of losing his job.

A hostile workplace can negatively affect an individual, but it can also negatively affect a business's production and bottom line. Employees who feel that they're harassed or under threat may spend their work hours worried about the perceived or real threat, formulating defenses or otherwise coping. For this reason, it would be in a business owner's best interest to make sure that the workplace is a hospitable place where employees are relaxed and free to work to their potential.

While a hostile workplace can take on many forms, some common characteristics of workplace harassment consist of verbal abuse, anger over territories or boundaries, excessive competition, power plays, unnecessary challenges and the undermining of a person's work or sabotaging productivity. In addition, sexual or discriminatory language, sexual leering or aggressive staring, unsolicited touching, inappropriate language including jokes, derogatory names and epithets, sexual emails, messages or notes and lewd gestures can constitute workplace harassment. Any discriminatory comment can potentially contribute to a hostile workplace.

However, it should be noted that not all negative behavior is considered workplace harassment. The concept of workplace harassment does not assume that a work environment has to be civil. Teasing, isolated comments and one-time incidents generally do not fall under workplace harassment.