Workplace harassment is growing day by day and becoming a serious issue. Harassment can be debilitating, uncomfortable, can affect someone’s mental health, and have an adverse effect on the individual facing harassment. The cases of harassment are generally seen between employer and employee or between colleagues.
As the victims of harassment are increasing it becomes a priority to make the victim come out and have the confidence to speak out. It is very important that the voice of harassment victims are heard.
This unethical and unjust behaviour should not be tolerated. At Bibiyan Law Group the group of experts and attorneys checks on it that every victim gets a voice and justice. They work hard and diligently to make sure the victim receives compensation using every lega; avenue available.
Do not make your silence become the power of the harasse, and the reason of your own sufferings. An experienced team of experts and legal advisors of Tomorrow Law will walk with you towards your justice and will make sure your chances of success increases.
Workplace Harassment during COVID-19? Is that a thing?
It is the first time everyone is facing the circumstances that Covid has made us follow. It is the first time we are working from home months after months for such a long time. From March 2024 everything has changed, now that the vaccine has arrived and millions of people in the US are receiving the vaccine, still the businesses are not all open and it will open slowly. It can also happen that many businesses will make work from home a part of their regular functioning of the business.
Despite the Work from Home (WFH) module being a total change of environment from working in an office with employers and colleagues to making you work alone in your home surrounded by your family, still cases of harassment are seen.
The harassment seen in this covid situation is different as employees are working from home, but the fact that it still exists is making employees experience a hostile work environment.
Below are a few of the many warning signs of harassment that you may be facing during this difficult time and work from home based working environment. Read below and if you feel you are facing any kind of harassment and need protection you can contact Bibiyan Law Group at Tomorrowlaw.
What Work From Home Harassment looks like?
Work from home requires you to be present with colleagues and employer through email, skype, Zoom, or any other social media and video conferencing application. Which makes these platforms a place where harassment occurs. It happens in any digital platform where communication between employees takes place. Few examples which can be commonly seen in online platforms of work are given below but these are not all, there are many more types of harassments that is suffered by employees all over the world:
- Harassing employees by discriminating against them according to their gender, race, color, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, disability etc.
- Employer or colleagues calling you in different names using slurs in group meetings or in group chats, social media platforms, work forums, or through emails etc.
- Your employee is stalking you on social media platforms.
- Sending inappropriate messages or sexual photos , memes, posts etc of other employees or randomly of anyone.
- Quid Pro Quo (Sexual Harassment)
- Making your work environment hostile
A Hostile Workplace and Quid pro quo sexual harassment both falls under the sexual harassment umbrella, can in any case happen while you are working from home. Quid pro quo sexual harassment is the point at which somebody with control over you (like an administrator or manager) requests or requests sexual blessings as a trade-off for gainful business results like a promotion or raise. A hostile workplace is the point at which some you work with subjects you to repeated requests of sexual nature, undesirable sexual advances, rehashed sexual solicitations, inappropriate contact, or makes hostile jokes. In a hostile workplace, these activities should be unavoidable to such an extent that they sway your capacity to play out the obligations of your work.
Any of the work harassments as mentioned above, whether sexual or not or of any other form, can occur in any work environment no matter where you are working from. Your work environment may have changed but the situation of harassment remains the same. Legally your employer and employees are obligated to safeguard you against any kind of harassment regardless of any change in your work environment. If you are experiencing any kind of sexual harassment working from home, it’s best you bring this into the eyes of employment attorney, he or she can guide you Or can advocate for you.
Laws That Protect You from Workplace Harassment?
In the United States luckily there are several federal laws and state laws that protects a person from sexual harassment and looks into prohibiting harassment in workplaces.
Some examples of laws protecting people from work harassments are Title VII of the Civil
Rights Acts- This law protects people from the discrimination faced in workplace.
The fair employment and housing Act – This law looks after a large group of people who are facing discrimination of any kind. Say for example in an organization one particular religion people are discriminated against, this law protects that whole group of people.
Placing Complaints Regarding Harassment
If you are facing sexual harassment or any kind of harassment and you want to file a case against your colleague or employer, you have to follow a official process.
In case you are filing a complaint on behalf of a larger community under the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, an investigation will be done to investigate your claim by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
If you are still not sure if what you are experiencing while working from home is qualified under harassment or not, you can contact a lawyer or expert and seek their help regarding it.
