The current pandemic has made many companies and economies use telecommuting that has strengthen their operations and allows them to give continuity in their day to day. However, this new methodology is not exempt of workplace harassment that previously happened on-site and that now is also happening on-line. 

That is why in this article the topic of tele-harassment, its elements and which behaviors constitute it or not are discussed; means in which the tele-work harassment can be present, the best practices to prevent it and how Grupo STT can help you with this matter.  

Definition of workplace harassment 

First of all, it is necessary to know the definition of workplace harassment, which is the set of actions, behaviors or omissions systematically fulfilled (several times) in a demonstrable manner on a worker or group of workers on the part of an individual or group of individuals, being these employers, heads, peers or subordinates with the clear intention of affecting their welfare, cause inconveniences and even resignations or dismissals.

Characteristic elements of workplace harassment 

Within workplace harassment there are characteristic elements such as:

1. Intentionality: overt acts and interest of the person to harm a co-worker should exist.
2. Repetition of the aggression: a systematic or repetitive factor where the person who harasses carries its acts frequently.
3. Longevity of the aggression: not only the acts of workplace harassment are frequent, but they have their permanence in time; for example, a person that is harassed by weeks, months or years.  
4. The ultimate purpose: all purpose of workplace harassment will be to make the person feel bad.

Behaviors that constitute workplace harassment

Some behaviors that constitute clear examples of workplace harassment are: 

• Employment discrimination: for example, the communication with the workers; if the total inclusion of all the members of the work team is not given and somebody is left out.
• Labor inequity: when the same tools, duties, tasks and responsibilities are not provided for all the employees. 
• Labor obstruction: when there is no access to the means to carry out the work, access blocking is given, for example to the email or password.
• Abuse: with the telecommuting trend it is now easier to collect evidence of harassment and not like before on-site where it was more complicated to obtain witnesses or camera footage.
• Freezing or isolation: for example, not including peers in important follow-up meetings. 
• Attack the personal or professional reputation of the worker: through new media. 

Behaviors that do not constitute workplace harassment 

Among the behaviors that can constitute workplace harassment but are not we can find the following:

• Those temporary conflicts, frictions, circumstantial tensions, isolated incidents.
• When the leadership is acting in accordance to the guidelines established in the internal institutional and national regulations.
• The administrative actions or steps to terminate the employment contract, based on a legal cause or a just cause, stipulated in the internal regulations, the Labor Code or related laws. 
• The formulation of circulars or memorandums aimed at improving labor efficiency in accordance to internal regulations. 

New means to exercise tele-harassment 

Among the new means that telecommuting has provided where workplace harassment can be present:  

1. Email: is the most used labor communication method and thus certain harassment situations can arise through it.
2. Phone: for example, if there is digital telephony to connect business numbers to personal devices and working hours are not respected and there is a continuous communication, even with corporate or company phones.
3. Instant messaging applications: it is important that the leaderships measure the way in which they answer their employees as a mean of prevention.
4. Applications for virtual meetings or video conferences: sometimes inconveniences or excuses may arise with these or the environment where telecommuting is carried out is to avoid communication with that person or group of people. 

Best practices to prevent tele-harassment 

Among the main practices that the companies carry out to prevent tele-harassment are: 

• Commitment of the managers for a better continuous treatment.
• Include virtual harassment within the protocols for the prevention and punishment of workplace harassment.
• Have a telecommuting and training policy for workers.
• New role of supervision in this alternative form of work. 
• Promote among workers’ self-control and self-discipline techniques.
• Train leaderships in assertive communication tools and prevention of workplace harassment in telecommuting. 
• Be vigilant of work interaction with new technologies and promptly resolve requests or conflicts between collaborators.
• Promote the use of tools that allow scheduling mailing only during business hours.
• Disable official instant messaging tools outside business hours.

Grupo STT can help you with this matter

Grupo STT can help you in the management of regulatory compliance to prevent harassment lawsuits in your company; provide talks and trainings on the subject both for managers and collaborators. Also it can assist in the assessment of workplace harassment and telecommuting policies of your company to ensure their correct implementation.   

¡Contact us!

Hugo Carmona Espinoza

Regional Community Manager