Post by account_disabled on Mar 4, 2024 5:27:01 GMT -5
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic... Has it increased?
Video Call Facetime Chatting Communication Concept
You're talking about an upcoming project on a video call with a coworker when he tells you he really likes the piece of art on the wall behind you. A few minutes later, your partner notices someone passing by your house and starts asking questions:
"Is she your sister, your roommate, maybe Chile Mobile Number List your partner?" Then, just as you're ending the call, your colleague says, "Hey, I really like your top. "I wonder what you're wearing underneath." Welcome to workplace bullying in the era of remote work !
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic
According to Fast Company , one of the surprising consequences of working from home during the pandemic is that employees reported an increase in workplace harassment.
Although we might expect harassment, unwanted advances, and racial taunts to decrease while employees worked from different locations, two recent surveys indicate that remote work may have unintentionally made it easier for co-workers to harass their colleagues.
I suspect some companies assumed that the lack of physical proximity meant these problems would go away, and that hasn't been the case.
Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include.
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic
Project Include is a non-profit organization that advocates for diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. According to a recent Project Include survey, 25% of respondents said they have experienced an increase in gender-based harassment during the pandemic, 10% said the same of hostility related to their race or ethnicity, and 23% of Those over 50 reported an age-related jump in abuse.
Research shows that harassment and hostility have moved from physical, in-person actions to online and technology-based forms.
They range from public bullying attacks on group video calls, to berating employees over email, to sharing racist and sexist links in chat, among others.
Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include.
The most affected
The Include Project also found that harassment was more likely among employees who identify as Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, female, as well as non-binary, and especially among employees who fall at the intersections of these identities.
Meanwhile, a separate report from The Purple Campaign —a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to ending workplace harassment—found similar results: A quarter of employees said they experienced an increase in bullying. gender-based harassment since COVID-19.
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic
Experts see a number of reasons for this bad behavior. Some cite the rise of one-on-one communication done in isolation, where no one can hear your Zoom, text, or phone conversations. And by blurring the lines between work and home, employees can be more casual in their conversations.
People will say and write things that they would never say out loud or do if they were in a physical workspace.
Broderick C. Dunn, socio de Cook Craig & Francuzenko, PLLC
Here are four ways companies can reduce harassment in the remote workplace.
4 ways to reduce workplace harassment in times of pandemic
1. Clearly establish the same rules that apply in the office and at home
According to Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include:
A company's CEO and leadership must clearly and repeatedly state that harassment, hostility and harm have no place at work, whether in person or online.
Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include.
Make it clear to employees that the same equal opportunity and sexual harassment policies apply even when employees work from home or have never met face-to-face, Dunn says.
Video Call Facetime Chatting Communication Concept
You're talking about an upcoming project on a video call with a coworker when he tells you he really likes the piece of art on the wall behind you. A few minutes later, your partner notices someone passing by your house and starts asking questions:
"Is she your sister, your roommate, maybe Chile Mobile Number List your partner?" Then, just as you're ending the call, your colleague says, "Hey, I really like your top. "I wonder what you're wearing underneath." Welcome to workplace bullying in the era of remote work !
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic
According to Fast Company , one of the surprising consequences of working from home during the pandemic is that employees reported an increase in workplace harassment.
Although we might expect harassment, unwanted advances, and racial taunts to decrease while employees worked from different locations, two recent surveys indicate that remote work may have unintentionally made it easier for co-workers to harass their colleagues.
I suspect some companies assumed that the lack of physical proximity meant these problems would go away, and that hasn't been the case.
Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include.
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic
Project Include is a non-profit organization that advocates for diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. According to a recent Project Include survey, 25% of respondents said they have experienced an increase in gender-based harassment during the pandemic, 10% said the same of hostility related to their race or ethnicity, and 23% of Those over 50 reported an age-related jump in abuse.
Research shows that harassment and hostility have moved from physical, in-person actions to online and technology-based forms.
They range from public bullying attacks on group video calls, to berating employees over email, to sharing racist and sexist links in chat, among others.
Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include.
The most affected
The Include Project also found that harassment was more likely among employees who identify as Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, female, as well as non-binary, and especially among employees who fall at the intersections of these identities.
Meanwhile, a separate report from The Purple Campaign —a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to ending workplace harassment—found similar results: A quarter of employees said they experienced an increase in bullying. gender-based harassment since COVID-19.
Workplace harassment in times of pandemic
Experts see a number of reasons for this bad behavior. Some cite the rise of one-on-one communication done in isolation, where no one can hear your Zoom, text, or phone conversations. And by blurring the lines between work and home, employees can be more casual in their conversations.
People will say and write things that they would never say out loud or do if they were in a physical workspace.
Broderick C. Dunn, socio de Cook Craig & Francuzenko, PLLC
Here are four ways companies can reduce harassment in the remote workplace.
4 ways to reduce workplace harassment in times of pandemic
1. Clearly establish the same rules that apply in the office and at home
According to Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include:
A company's CEO and leadership must clearly and repeatedly state that harassment, hostility and harm have no place at work, whether in person or online.
Ellen Pao, CEO of Project Include.
Make it clear to employees that the same equal opportunity and sexual harassment policies apply even when employees work from home or have never met face-to-face, Dunn says.