You Can’t Find Digital Workplace Harassment With An Analog Policy

Employees are much less likely to suffer workplace harassment when they work from home.

And if you believe that, there’s this great bridge I’d love to sell you.

The truth is that harassment seems to have actually gotten worse since the great tele-migration began in earnest last spring.

What’s changed isn’t the behaviour but the media in which it’s carried out. According to a recent survey, more than 2 in 5 workers report suffering some form of digital harassment. Another study found that of all female workers who said they’ve been harassed at work, 45% said it happened remotely; 78% said they didn’t think their employer was doing enough to protect them from digital harassment.

And they’re probably right on that last point. The fact of the matter is that the old school workplace harassment policy simply isn’t designed for virtual behaviour. You can’t fight digital threats with analog policies. That’s why it’s essential for all employers to take a good hard look at their current harassment policies and determine whether they need a digital makeover, including cyberbullying protections and a code of conduct for virtual meetings.