Many employees experience hostile work environments. People say and do things others find offensive. One of the best ways to deal with a hostile work environment is to write a letter to HR about the hostile work environment working for a US employer.

You may be dealing with the hostile actions of a single coworker or a group of coworkers. The best way to fight back is to write a letter to HR about the hostile actions of your colleagues.

Hostile work environments negatively affect employees and the company, severely affecting corporate culture and productivity. Understanding how to handle a hostile work environment can help you protect yourself and avoid harmful work situations.

This article discusses how to write a letter to HR about a hostile work environment, identifies the most important aspects of the letter, and explores sample letters to HR about dealing with a hostile work environment.

But the question is…

How to write a letter to HR about a hostile work environment?

Keep your emotions out of your letter to HR about a hostile work environment. Present the facts to HR. Show the location and date the workplace hostility occurred.

Related posts:

Tips for Writing a Letter to HR About a Hostile Work Environment

One of the most important aspects of writing a letter to HR about a hostile work environment is to maintain a polite and professional tone.

A cordial letter to HR will help your case a lot more than an email typed in ALL UPPERCASE. Omit profanities from your letter, even if an employee used that kind of language with you in the past.

Stick to the point. You don’t have to write a long complaint letter to HR about a hostile work environment. Describe the situation in a few sentences and ask HR to help you.

Keep your letter short, but make sure you have included all the facts and people involved.

Your complaint to HR shouldn’t have any sarcasm. Keep it professional and objective. Explain the reasons why you needed to write the letter and let HR start and conclude an investigation.

If you have done a good job with your letter, HR should understand the situation without additional explanation. However, you should expect HR to reach out to you for further information.

Don’t include threats in your letter. Give HR a chance to help you with your issues. It doesn’t help to start with threats. At this point, all you do is explain the situation, asking for HR’s help.

Allow the system to work, and it may just work for you. If you don’t get anywhere with HR, you can still speak with an employment attorney about the next steps.

What steps are involved in writing a letter to HR about a hostile work environment?

One of the first steps for writing a letter to HR about a hostile work environment is to detail the employees’ names and job titles. You should also describe the location where the incident happened.

Explain the hostility you have experienced in a professional tone. Don’t get emotional. Stick to the facts and keep the tone of the letter polite.

Emphasize throughout your letter that you are asking for help. Explain in your letter that you want HR to help you deal with the hostile work environment.

Tell HR what you would like to happen. Explain what would be the ideal outcome of your complaint.

Keep your letter under 500-words. Include all of the people, places, and incident details. Avoid using profanities or offensive language.

Give a date by which you expect a response from HR.

Related posts:

How to start a letter to HR about a hostile work environment?

Make sure you start with the proper greeting. When writing a letter to HR about a hostile work environment, it’s important to address the recipient correctly.

The letter of complaint is channeled to the HR department. This is because the main function of HR is to support employees. If you have a contact person in HR, you can start the letter with an address like Dear “first name.”

But if you don’t know the name of the HR Manager, you can address your letter to “Dear HR Manager.”

Sample Letter to HR Regarding a Hostile Work Environment

(Your name)
(Your job title)
(Your workplace location)
(Date)

Dear HR Manager:

I have been working with (Name of company) since (Start date of employment). I hold the position of (Job title).

I am writing this letter to inform you about the inappropriate behavior of one of my coworkers. The name of the employee is (Employee’s name).

(Employee’s name) has been shouting profanities at me starting on (Date), and it has continued ever since. I asked (Employee’s name) to stop multiple times and asked my supervisor on (Date) for help. But I continue to experience hostilities at work.

This has been very hard on me professionally and personally, and I need your help. Please help me to end the verbal abuse. The abuse is negatively affecting my life at work and outside work.

I ask you to help me with this matter as soon as possible.

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

(Your name)
(Your phone number)
(Your email address if you are sending a paper letter)

No one should tolerate workplace hostility, harassment or bullying. If you are a victim of a hostile workplace environment, a complaint letter to Human Resources is in order.