As the workplace continues to modernize and change with time, many different aspects change, too. Some of these changes may lean toward the better, while others seem worse off.
Workplace harassment is one of the unfortunate issues that continued to adapt and change in the changing work environment.
“Icing out” employees
The New York Times delves into the newest form of workplace harassment. Digital forms of harassment are not new, considering many workplaces implemented digital means of contact long before the most recent years with the biggest changes. However, many workplaces became almost entirely reliant on digital methods of communicating, which gave rise to new forms of harassment.
For example, group chats that exclude certain members of the team can allow for rumors and gossip to grow and spread almost entirely unchecked. This can lead to “icing out” an employee, i.e. ostracizing them and treating them poorly.
Sexual harassment and “doxxing”
Sexual harassment also continues even in the modern workplace. Many instances involve text messages in which harassers may include lewd and unwanted photo attachments or even video chat where a harasser may expose him or herself on camera to an unwilling party. Sexual harassment can also include lewd comments directed at or toward the victim or attempts to threaten or coerce the victim into sexual acts performed over the camera or via chats.
Another form of digital harassment goes by the name “doxxing”, and it involves putting someone’s personal information on the internet for the public at large to see. A coworker or employee who feels wronged or angry may do this to a victim in an attempt to get even, which can do massive damage to the target and even ruin their life.
