Much of the focus on cyberbullying has been aimed towards school-aged children. However, school children are not the only ones being affected by this new epidemic. Many in the workforce who have also experienced cyberbullying are voicing their frustration and disappointment in the lack of action being taken by employers to mediate this type of behavior. The following list entails some of the things that employers need to understand about cyberbullying in the workplace.
It Can Seriously Impact Your Bottom Line
The situation may be amongst two or three employees within your company, but it doesn’t mean it won’t affect your bottom line. Other than the loss of productivity you will be seeing from those employees affected; you will no doubt have the eyes of your employees and the rest of your management team on you. These distractions will often cause a lack of concentration, trust, and overall results for your bottom line.
You Might Be Liable for Outside of Work Occurrences
You might think that because the action of cyberbullying is between two employees during their free time and on their personal computers that it won’t affect you legally. The reality is that this may not be entirely true. Electronic harassment could legally be considered employee discrimination in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act. Essentially, if you were monitoring the situation and did not over the course of the bullying, then you can, in fact, be held accountable as well. Employers are asked to be proactive, make clear policies about cyberbullying and physical bullying, and inform employees about clear avenues to speak with HR or a manager.
Top Candidates Might Take a Pass
When it comes to cyberbullying lawsuits against an employee or business, there is no doubt it will make it to your local or state media. Even when you had nothing to do with the situation, one can expect to see negative reports about your company. This will often lead to top candidates deciding that may be working for you isn’t the best thing to do. After all, who wants to be bullied, right? This is a big reason why employers must be proactive in their approach to stop bullying of any kind from occurring within their company.
Though cyberbullying is often hard to spot if the person being affected doesn’t come forward quickly, it is still the responsibility of the employer to make employees aware of the consequences of it. Adhere to the subjects listed above in order to help mediate this situation from occurring at your place of business.
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