Sexual Harassment By Zoom
Remote Workplace Harassment: Donna's Story
Donna joined a pharmaceutical company just before the pandemic hit. From the outset, her supervisor subjected her to uncomfortable comments about her appearance and attire.
As remote work became the norm in March 2020, Donna hoped for relief from these uncomfortable exchanges. However, her supervisor insisted that she keep her camera on during Zoom calls, despite her participation from her bedroom. He began making inappropriate remarks about her bedroom, suggesting her bed was "inviting." Donna attempted to use Zoom's "blur" feature to obscure her bedroom background, but her supervisor mandated that she display her camera fully. The situation reached a breaking point when, during a one-on-one Zoom call, her supervisor twice engaged in explicit behavior on camera. She formally reported the harassment, leading the company to place another manager between Donna and her supervisor. However, she still had to interact directly with her original harasser on Zoom. The ordeal caused severe anxiety, sleeplessness, and a jaw disorder that resulted in a cracked tooth. Despite her suffering, Donna hesitated to leave her job due to her financial needs. Resolution While Donna was still employed, we crafted a comprehensive letter to her employer detailing her supervisor's inappropriate conduct and its impact. Within a few weeks, we negotiated an exit package that compensated Donna for her suffering and provided financial support as she searched for new employment. Postscript If you're facing pervasive harassment and are uncertain about quitting or pursuing other actions, consulting an employment attorney immediately is advisable. You might explore private resolutions that don't necessitate quitting or filing a lawsuit. |
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Meet Our Employment Lawyers
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients on both the employee and employer side with severance and non compete review and negotiation, wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, workplace sexual harassment situations, and advice about employment law generally.
Rebecca Rogers: Rebecca is a 2006 graduate of Boston College Law School, and has worked with slnlaw since 2013. She previously worked as an intellectual property litigation attorney for Fish & Richardson in Boston, Massachusetts, and clerked for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Rebecca has helped clients with wage and hour disputes, employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, and advice to both employees and employers about navigating complex employment situations.
Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna has helped clients with review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, wage and hour disputes, discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, and advice to small business owners about employment law and other business matters.
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has helped clients on the employee and employer side with all varieties of employment law issues, including employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour issues, litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts, and advising employers about employment policies and practices.
Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has helped clients with wage and hour, discrimination, harassment and retaliation disputes, review and negotiation of severance agreements, and litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts on employment related issues.
How We Can Help
If you've experienced workplace harassment, including uncomfortable situations in remote work environments like Zoom, our experienced team can provide guidance and support to protect your rights and seek justice. You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, or give us a call at 781-784-2322.
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