Our interview on HR Brew on what constitutes harassment in a virtual environment and the new challenges the workplace is facing.

Matthew Stegmeier, Project WHEN’s Director of Operations, was recently interviewed by HR Brew. HR Brew is a publication that covers a variety of workplace topics. The interview discusses how sexual harassment evolved throughout the course of the pandemic. What constitutes harassment in a virtual environment? In what ways was working on-site superior to, and in what ways was it inferior to, working from home? What exactly is a ‘hostile work environment’ when there is no actual workplace?

The pandemic posed a new challenge of redefining harassment in the virtual space. What constitutes harassment in the virtual world? How should employers handle complaints of harassment? How should employees report instances of harassment? What are the ways to address the complaints of harassment? These are often asked questions in this new era of remote work. The training provided to employees on what constitutes harassment is frequently out of date. How can we refer to it as sexual harassment if there is no physical contact? These are only a handful of the challenges that workplaces now face.

Matthew Stegmeier provided suggestions to overcome these obstacles in an article for HR Brew.  According to him, businesses should be extremely transparent about their complaints handling procedures: “This pandemic has lasted nearly two years. At this point, some employees may have been employed without ever stepping foot in your real office. As a result, they may not even know who to contact in terms of human resources! Thus, I believe that clearly communicating to your workers, ‘If you encounter misconduct or something wrong in these channels, this is how we will handle it,’ is critical. This accomplishes a great deal in terms of indicating to employees that this is something they can speak up about.”

If you are the victim of workplace harassment or a witness to it, Project WHEN has launched a comprehensive guide about your rights under the law and what next steps you might consider in facing workplace discrimination.

Are you interested in taking action and creating a harassment-free workspace?

Project WHEN provides organizations with an opportunity to enroll in the WHEN™ Organizational Certification program wherein employers can go through a structured process of learning how to prevent workplace harassment and create a more respectful work environment.

Service providers, internal practitioners, and other professionals can obtain a micro-credential by enrolling in the WHEN™ Professional Certification program. It is a five-course module that Project WHEN, together with Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), will be launching soon. This course is perfect for individuals passionate about driving change in the workplace and who want to be Anti-Harassment Certified Practitioners.

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