Sexual Harassment By Zoom
Donna began working at a pharmaceutical company shortly before the pandemic. From the start of her employment, she was subjected to comments from her supervisor about how she looked and about her clothing.
When everyone started working remotely at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Donna thought she might get some distance from these uncomfortable conversations. Instead, her supervisor insisted that she keep her camera on during zoom calls, despite the fact that she had to participate in these calls from her bedroom. He started making comments about her bedroom on zoom calls, specifically that her bed was "inviting." Donna then began to use the "blur" feature on calls, to obscure the bedroom in the background, but the supervisor insisted she keep the camera- and background- fully on. The final straw for Donna was a zoom call between just her and her supervisor, during which he twice put his hands down his pants in front of her on camera. At this point she made a formal complaint of harassment. In response, the company put another manager between her and her supervisor, but she was still required to interact directly with the original supervisor on zoom. Donna was experiencing debilitating anxiety, which among other things led to a lack of sleep and a jaw disorder that resulted in a cracked tooth. Overtired, anxious, and in physical pain, Donna was still afraid to quit her job because of her need to earn a living. Harassment SolutionWhile she was still employed, we put together a letter to her employer outlining all of the inappropriate conduct of her supervisor, and the effect it had on her. Within a few weeks, we were able to negotiate an exit package that compensated Donna for what she had suffered and allowed her a financial cushion while she looked for a new job/
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Postscript
If you are facing pervasive harassment and are not sure if you should resign your job or take other action, it is a good idea to consult an employment attorney right away. You may be able to fashion a resolution that is private and does not require you to either quit or file a lawsuit.
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