Toxic Work Behavior Moves Online

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the way many people in and around the Los Angeles area go to work every day. In many cases, employers have allowed the majority of their workers to shift to a home-based work situation. This has worked out well for many people, but working from home has also opened up new ways for toxic work behaviors to infiltrate the work environment. Here, the Los Angeles employment discrimination attorneys at Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers want to discuss what happens when toxic work behavior moves online when working from home.

Toxic Works Environments Are Detrimental

When millions of office workers across the United States started working from home in March in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the corporate work culture also went home with these employees. Initially, there were positive reports about office professionals coming together to adjust to a new way of living and a new working style. However, as weeks of remote work stretched into months, and with an end to the coronavirus pandemic nowhere in sight, it has become clear that many of the same toxic work environment issues that took place in the office have moved into people’s homes as well.

“If you work at an organization that has a toxic culture characterized by mean behavior, incivility, aggressive behavior, and perhaps bad interpersonal treatment, that behavior and culture don’t stay in the building,” said Manuela Priesemuth, a professor of management at Villanova University.

Toxic workplace behavior has generally been referred to as when a person with a form of power in the workplace, such as supervisors or managers, uses their power to target other individuals and cause psychological harm. In some cases, this type of behavior is blatantly obvious and can include various types of harassment, verbal abuse, and even discrimination. Often though, toxic work environments are caused by less visible microaggressions.

Some employees have reported that microaggressions that occur through an online work environment are a symptom of larger racial inequalities and discrimination in the workplace. In some cases, discrimination can continue into forums such as Zoom meetings, online conversations in group chatrooms, and even in how work is prioritized between colleagues.

Just as with any form of communication, employees should be encouraged to speak up about any hostile behavior in the workplace, including behavior that occurs in an online work environment. Any discrimination and harassment policies that are implemented in the in-person environment must be carried over to the remote-work environment as well.

Contact Our Attorneys For A Free Consultation Of Your Work Discrimination Case

If you or somebody you care about has been the victim of discrimination in the workplace, you need to seek assistance from an attorney as soon as possible. At Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers, we are dedicated to investigating these claims and securing any compensation our clients are entitled to. This could include coverage of front and back pay, promotions if warranted, reinstatement to jobs or positions, pain and suffering damages, and more. When you need a Los Angeles employment discrimination attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 310-527-6994.