Harassment can happen during remote work as well as in an office. Rights concerning after-hours meetings depend on local law, contracts, and circumstances; do not assume one universal rule from this article.
How can harassment happen in remote work?
Repeated harmful conduct, sometimes called mobbing , can move to digital channels. The historical prevalence estimates in the source have not been verified here.
The source also cites figures about Mexico and the OECD that should not be treated as current or universal without checking their methodology.
Mexico's NOM-035 addresses workplace psychosocial risk factors . Specific duties depend on the current standard and the workplace.
Harassment may involve repeated, systematic conduct by managers, coworkers, or others. A fair assessment examines the facts, context, and impact rather than assuming a motive.
Examples may include humiliating messages, intimidation, unjustified exclusion, spreading harmful rumors, and unreasonable workloads.
Harassment at a distance
Email, instant messaging, and video meetings create new ways to behave badly. Remote work can also blur boundaries between working and personal time.
Pressure that may push someone to resign deserves attention, but not every management request is legally harassment. Examples of potentially harmful practices include:
Always-on expectations
- Repeatedly demanding a connection outside agreed working hours.
- Using calls and messages to monitor performance excessively.
- Expecting responses to messages or video calls at all hours.
- Threatening dismissal over internet access without considering the circumstances.
Ignoring time and privacy boundaries
- Not allowing reasonable breaks because someone works from home.
- Demanding camera use or location data without a clear, legitimate purpose.
- Requiring excessive hours.
- Changing shifts suddenly without adequate process.
- Requiring work without a reasonable basis.
- Sexual harassment through digital channels.
Unfair productivity measurement
- Measuring productivity only by the minutes a person appears on screen.
- Minimizing achievements and effort.
- Treating someone differently from colleagues without a fair reason.
- Assigning unreasonable workloads in impossible timeframes.
- Shouting at or humiliating someone during team calls.
Ignoring and excluding
- Deliberately leaving a team member out of necessary group messages.
- Deliberately omitting them from video meetings they need to attend.
The source discusses harassment in the context of remote work after 2020 and cites an International Labour Organization document titled Updating the System: Strengthening Protection Against Cyberharassment and Violence and Harassment in the World of Work Enabled by ICT.
Some countries recognize rights related to disconnecting from work, but the law varies. Verify the current rules in the relevant place.
Organizations need a confidential reporting system, fair case handling, and support for affected people. An external specialist may help, but is not a universal legal requirement.
At EthicsGlobal we offer reporting-system services and guidance on Mexican workplace standards and ISO 37002. Ask our team about current services and applicable requirements.