Do you work from home? You may have a lot of advantages when you work from home, such as naming the hours you work, cutting back on travel costs and avoiding workplace drama. However, one issue you may not be able to avoid is workplace harassment.
Workplace harassment is any kind of action that a co-worker or employer does that makes an employee feel unsafe, threatened or scared. Harassment can target a person’s characteristics, such as their sex, race, national origin, age or disability. Workplace harassment intends to create a hostile and toxic workplace environment often seeking to push an employer to quit.
Some examples of workplace harassment include physical violence, inappropriate touching or use of offensive language. However, remote work can lead to different kinds of workplace harassment. Here is what you should know:
Digital stalking
You may have several social media accounts that anyone could easily search online. If an employee or coworker wanted to harass you, they could stalk you digitally by locating your social media accounts and making frequent sexual or derogatory comments on your profile.
Doxing
Another form of online harassment is doxing. Doxing means that someone has released your personal information, such as your home address or phone number, online for others to see. Because your co-workers and employer may have easy access to your personal information, it may be easier for them to doxx you.
AI-generated photos or videos
Artificial intelligence (AI) can create fake images and videos. If you are the target of online harassment, your likeness could be used in an AI-generated image or video. This image or video could be sexually suggestive or include violent actions.
If you are a victim of online workplace harassment, then you should know that you can take steps to protect yourself. Legal guidance can help you report and stop workplace harassment.