VSee had an awesome time at the Pitch ’11 Event in S.F. We picked up a ton of business cards and bumped into a lot of interesting as well as truly interested people. I highly recommend this event if you’re a start up or interested in getting to know some start ups. The one thing that blighted my time there was something that happened very specifically to me [addendum 9/16]:
I got my first taste of sexual harassment in the remote workspace last night. While in a demo at the Pitch ’11 San Francisco event yesterday, I had the unpleasant experience of being repeatedly leered, taunted, and smooched at by some unprofessional creep attending the conference (not a co-worker). Thank goodness the web camera lens was attached to the computer or I might have had to see the inside of his mouth as well. Ew!
Having forsaken the high life for many years now, it’s been awhile since I’ve encountered this sort of behavior, and it caught me completely off guard. Unfortunately, showing my shock and confusion was a bad move, which delighted and egged on the disgusting oaf. Perhaps part of it also had to do with the fact that I was merely a face and voice on the screen. Aside from the novelty of seeing someone live on-screen, it’s easy to be regarded as an object rather than as a human when you’re just pixels on a monitor. I highly doubt the lout would have acted that way if I had been there in person.
In hindsight, there are a few things I could have done to better deal with this situation:
1. Hit record so I can verify his antics should I ever choose to file a complaint. It would also be great footage for future training sessions in sexual harassment.
2. Use the “Avatar” effect feature on my Logitech webcam to instantly transform myself into a grotesque-looking alien and then sweetly tell Mr. Lowlife that I didn’t think we were suited for each other.
3. Do what I should have done in the first place: Shut the camera off immediately so the jerk didn’t have anyone to bother anymore. One of the happy advantages of video calling is having more control over your environment.
I’m glad this kind of thing doesn’t happen very often in my work environment, but I think it’s a good thing to be aware of as video calling and video conferencing becomes a norm in the workplace. Even though this was a minor one-time occurrence for me, for some it can be a regular problem that not only hurts them, but also costs businesses time and money. After all, it cost the federal government an estimated $67 million between May 1985 and 1987, and in 2006, it cost employers who could not protect themselves from workplace harassment claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over $59.8 million.
I, for one, don’t find it acceptable to have fun with someone by humiliating or degrading him or her.
Related Articles
Joanna Krotz’s practical blog article on approaching workplace harassment for small businesses
Easy to read Primer on the legal aspects of sexual harassment
American Association of University Women resources on sexual harassment
original photo by lilianwagdy
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