Can Sexual Harassment Occur Over Social Media?

If a coworker or employer is sending you messages about a particular gender, making you feel uncomfortable, this too could be considered a form of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment takes many forms. An unwanted hand touch from an employer or an inappropriate text or photo sent by a coworker both constitute forms of sexual harassment.  Workplace behavior is categorized as sexual harassment when it becomes so severe, it creates a hostile or offensive work environment, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

If an employer or coworker is contacting you through one or more social media platforms and sending you inappropriate photos and/or messages, it may be considered sexual harassment. If the behavior is making you feel uncomfortable or creating an offensive work environment, your employer or the person responsible for handling sexual harassment complaints should be notified. 

Sexual harassment is illegal behavior, even if it occurs over social media

Many individuals today rely on social media for news, updates from friends and family, and to connect with coworkers and employers. Regardless of what social media platform you might be using, if someone from work—an employer or coworker—contacts you by sending content of a sexual nature, it may be sexual harassment.

The following are examples of the types of behavior that are considered forms of sexual harassment:

1. Your employer sends you messages frequently over social media asking you on a date. After declining the offer, your employer becomes rather persistent and even threatens to demote you if you continue to turn them down. 

Important: Sexual harassment becomes illegal behavior when “it results in an adverse employment decision.” Therefore, if your employer were to act on his/her threats, you may have a valid case against them—and an Arkansas sexual harassment lawyer can certainly help you exercise your legal rights.

2. A coworker sends you inappropriate photos and/or text messages. There are certain boundaries that should be set in a workplace setting—including the types of relationships that are permissible between coworkers. If a coworker oversteps those boundaries by sending you sexually explicit content, making you feel comfortable each time you come in contact with them, the issue should be addressed.

   

3. An employer or coworkers send messages containing offensive remarks about a person’s sex. “Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature,” according to the EEOC. If a coworker or employer is sending you messages about a particular gender, making you feel uncomfortable, this too could be considered a form of sexual harassment.

When should I contact an Arkansas sexual harassment lawyer?

If your employer fired you or threatened to fire you because you turned down their sexual advances, now might be a good time to schedule an initial consultation with a sexual harassment attorney in Arkansas. The same applies if someone in your workplace has made unwanted sexual contact or has frequently made inappropriate comments toward you.

Although legal action isn’t always the end result when you contact an attorney, an Arkansas sexual harassment lawyer can determine if your rights are being violated and what can be done to address it.