While cyberbullying is usually associated with strangers or classmates insulting each other on social media, the modern workplace is not immune to this type of toxic behavior. However, in the remote work environment, cyberbullying can manifest in ways employees may not even realize until they see it happen firsthand.
As HR leaders, the members of Forbes Human Resources Council know how detrimental toxic employee and manager behaviors can be to a company's overall morale and culture. Below, 11 of them share their best tips for identifying and addressing this pervasive problem, especially in a remote or hybrid work model where there may not be an opportunity for face-to-face resolution.
Forbes Human Resources Council members share their insight.
Photos courtesy of individual members.1. Create An Open Culture
Create an open culture with a zero-tolerance stance against any discrimination, harassment or bullying. Have robust policies and effective training to ensure employees know the behaviors that are expected and accepted in your company, whether or not they work remotely. You can also use remote monitoring tools, but employees must be given advance warning of what will be monitored, how and why. - Alan Price, BrightHR
2. Hold All Employees Accountable
A culture of no bullies, full transparency and trust. Employees should know that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and feel comfortable reporting it. Senior leaders should also make sure to not tolerate this type of behavior from high performers as it sets a bad example. Publicly making clear that even high performers have to treat others well sets the right tone. - Alex Pantich, Upshift
3. Address Cyberbullying Immediately
Cyberbullying must be addressed immediately. Employers need to have policies in place ensuring a victim’s safety after reporting the incident. If there is sufficient proof, cyberbullying should result in a final warning or termination of the guilty employee. - Niki Jorgensen, Insperity
4. Establish Clear Remote Work Policies
It may appear fairly benign, but frustrating, unprofessional behavior like ghosting coworkers, purposely reaching out after hours or not respecting time off can quickly deplete morale. In a hybrid workplace, tension can also arise when remote team members feel they aren't getting equal recognition. Establishing clear remote work policies—especially surrounding communication—can help mitigate this. - Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
5. Have Employees Show Receipts
Cyberbullying at work can be nuanced which makes deciphering context more difficult. Being able to show proof of the language with screenshots will help when confronting the offender, along with the impact that behavior has on others. The most important role as a people leader is to squash the behavior before it makes good people leave and creates a toxic culture. - Danny Speros, Zenefits
6. Establish Regular Feedback Forums
Establishing regular feedback forums that allow you to pulse on psychological safety and team dynamics can be a great way to understand whether things are working smoothly in a remote world or need more attention. It's also critical to encourage managers to establish regular touchpoints with their teams as well so that feedback can be shared in a timely fashion and acted upon quickly too. - Nicole Fernandes, Blu Ivy Group
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7. Set Expectations And Boundaries
Be very clear about expectations and boundaries. I find that there are unclear expectations in the remote and hybrid work environment where employees feel they must always be "on" and are criticized for the inability to work at maximum capacity—hence productivity cyberbullying. Setting and establishing work norms will alleviate this ambiguity. - Nakisha Griffin, Virtual Enterprise Architects
8. Ensure Employees Feel Comfortable Reporting Inappropriate Behavior
In a remote or hybrid work environment, HR must rely on employees to report inappropriate behavior by co-workers immediately. Also, employees should feel comfortable doing so, without fear of retribution. HR should then take swift and decisive action against cyberbullying by issuing a formal warning or terminating offenders to prevent their behavior from creating a toxic work culture. - John Feldmann, Insperity
9. Identify Top Performers
The best way to detect low performers is by identifying top performers. If you know what success looks like, it's easy to recognize situations where employees are not meeting the standard. That said, CHROs should be cautious in attributing cyberbullying to an individual before assessing the broader framework. This includes evaluating fairness around work schedules, training and performance goals. - David Swanagon, Ericsson
10. Have A Zero-Tolerance Policy
Toxic workers inevitably become exposed during group Zoom meetings or are reported by a colleague. If you have an environment of zero tolerance for bullying, then these incidents will be reported. - Richard Polak, American Benefits Council
11. Create A Culture Of Curiosity
Organizations can create a culture of curiosity where leaders and colleagues challenge each other on biases, prejudice and bullying. We can train employees to identify these situations and provide people with various methods to address them. They can speak up, report to HR, provide evidence, educate the offender and more. We also want to encourage bystanders to speak up when they see bullying. - Quyen Nguyenfa, Mckinney Trailer Rentals
