How Remote Employees Can Be Subject to Online Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment plagues workplaces across the country, from corporate offices to fast-food restaurants. Perhaps surprisingly, the transition to remote work prompted by the Covid pandemic has not abated the problem. Although lack of physical contact would seem to present fewer opportunities for one person to harass another, workers are often victimized by online sexual harassment.

In 2021, employee feedback company AllVoices conducted a study called The State of Workplace Harassment. It revealed that 38 percent of workers experienced harassment remotely, through channels like email, video conferencing, phone and intra-office chat tools. Further, 24 percent of workers surveyed said harassment got worse after the shift to remote work. That same year, in a separate survey by Project Include, 26 percent of respondents said they had seen an increase in gender-based harassment after moving to remote work. That number rose to 40 percent when looking specifically at the responses of women and non-binary workers.

A partial explanation for the trend is that the very tools that enable working from home also allow for transmitting unwanted sexually related messages. Here are a few examples:

• Sexually suggestive comments sent via instant messages
• Sexually charged memes or photos shared by emails or messages
• Links to “not safe for work” websites sent as a prank
• Gender-specific comments made during video meetings

Sexual harassment of remote workers is facilitated by a combination of factors:

• With people working at home, there are fewer witnesses to notice or report incidents of harassment.
• The wide presence of social media and information sharing in daily life may be leading people to feel too free to share inappropriate things at work.
• In a remote environment, employees can’t simply walk over to their manager’s office or the HR department to report being harassed.

While remote work eliminates offenses like inappropriate physical touching and physical assaults, it does not prevent the damage that online sexual harassment can inflict on those who experience it. In fact, online harassment is especially stressful and demoralizing since it happens to victims inside their homes, where they are supposed to be safe.

If you have been harassed while working from home, you have rights. Typically, before pursuing legal action, you must report the issue to your HR department or to company management. The law says companies must be made aware of the problem and be given a chance to correct it before they can be sued. Take notes and document everything that happens to you. If reporting the harassment doesn’t correct the issue, talk to a New Jersey employment lawyer about making a legal claim.

At Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt, P.C. in Hackensack, our lawyers advise and represent workers who have been sexually harassed on the job. You can call our office at 551-245-8894 or contact us online to talk to an attorney and learn more about your legal rights.