Even though LinkedIn is a professional platform, bullying and harassment does happen there.Getty Images
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Ask Women and Work
Question: I’ve been experiencing some harassment on LinkedIn, both publicly and through direct messages. Because this is a professional platform, I want to be careful how I handle this. How should I proceed?
We asked Shelly Elsliger, president of Linked-Express, to tackle this one:
A lot of people think, ‘LinkedIn is a professional platform, bullying or harassment doesn’t happen there.’ But it does.
It may start with a post you’ve made that someone doesn’t like, and they decide to come after you. At first, you can engage with the person in a professional manner. Allow them to express their opinion and say, ‘Thank you for expressing that.’ But if they keep coming back at you, if it starts to feel uncomfortable or they are attacking your expertise, your business or your character, you may have to do something more.
One option is to block them. LinkedIn added the block feature after a woman launched a petition because she was being harassed on the platform and had no way of dealing with it. I had a situation recently where someone was challenging me on a post to the point where I was feeling uncomfortable; they were questioning my professionalism and saying what I was posting was not correct, when in fact it was. So, I had to block them, and I wrote a post about it.
If you are seeing signs that a person is a bully, you should report it to LinkedIn. Reporting them is the only way that you can ensure that they’re going to get a warning or, if they’ve had multiple reports, their profile will be suspended.
Your gut will usually tell you that something isn’t right, that it’s affecting your sense of peace and safety on LinkedIn. Maybe they have called you inappropriate names or are making threats. Then there is sexual harassment, which typically happens through direct messaging. It could be someone making provocative comments about your appearance or saying sexually explicit things.
There are a few ways that you can report harassment with LinkedIn. If you want to report a post, click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of their post and you will see the option to report. You can go to a person’s profile and click on “More” to report them. You can also go to LinkedIn Help to see options for reporting harassment and abuse. If threats are made, you can also contact the police.
It’s important to take screenshots and keep all your evidence carefully in one place before you block someone, because once you block a person, it’s like you don’t exist in their world and they don’t exist in your world. You won’t be able to access that information. Once your evidence has been gathered and LinkedIn has been notified, then you can block the person.
There’s no room for trolls on LinkedIn. Know that if you are being harassed, you can do something about it.
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
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How do I lead team members who are older and more experienced than I am?
“I think the first thing you have to develop is self-esteem,” says Stéphanie Jules, tech lawyer and LinkedIn Top Career Development Voice. “Managing people older than you can naturally lead to feelings of intimidation, but building strong self-esteem is critical in overcoming that. It’s about recognizing and owning your unique strengths and the fresh perspectives you bring to the team.
“By embracing the value that you contribute, you can shift your focus from worrying about age or experience gaps to focusing on collaboration and achieving results. This confidence will foster mutual respect and will set the tone for effective teamwork regardless of age differences.”
Interested in more perspectives about women in the workplace? Find all stories on The Globe Women’s Collective hub here, and subscribe to the new Women and Work newsletter here. Have feedback? E-mail us at GWC@globeandmail.com.