Working from home should have liberated employees from toxic workplace behaviour such as bullying and harassment. Amid the lockdowns, gone are undesired office encounters, business trips, round-the-clock conferences and much after-hours socialising. Yet, far from ending misconduct, the pandemic lockdowns have displaced it at best and fueled it at worst.
Early anecdotal evidence in the financial services industry – which has all too often silenced victims of harassment – does not paint a pretty picture. SteelEye, which makes surveillance tools for securities trading and communications in banking, told me its clients have witnessed a notable increase in potential impropriety amid a surge in activity and heightened stress in financial markets. While the alerts mostly flag potential insider-trading and market abuse, offensive or hostile language that points to bullying and harassment has shown up too, according to SteelEye’s chief executive officer Matt Smith.