Forbes Magazine's recent piece, "The 'new' sexual harassment is more subtle," highlights the transformation in workplace relationships has occurred between co-workers over the last couple of years.
It is now uncommon for an employee's supervisor to be so blatant in
their sexual advances. No longer are bosses threatening to fire a subordinate
for not agreeing to sleep with them. No longer do the situations play
out as they did in the past: 'Sleep with me if you want the promotion.'
On the contrary, today's version of
sexual harassment can be much more discreet and less obvious. Much of the problems have
been traced to new technology, such as text messages, social-networking
sites, and email. David Bowman, an employment lawyer at the Philadelphia
office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockus, attributes the surge in - at the
workplace to the difference in nature between personal interactions. "When
you talk in person, 80 percent of what you say is in your tone and body
language. With technology, all of that is gone," says Bowman.