Extra Workplace Behavior and its Corporate Impact

The Extent of Corporate Image

A frequent question is how far the company's power over employee conduct extends.

The modern answer is that, although private life is respected, any public behavior that affects the reputation of the organization or the work climate is of corporate interest.

Events such as Christmas parties, conventions or team dinners, even if they are "after hours," are considered extensions of the workplace.

An employee who gets drunk and verbally assaults a colleague at a bar on a Friday night, if the context was socializing among colleagues, is importing a conflict into Monday morning and may be disciplined for it.

Social Networks and Cybercoexistence

Social networks have blurred traditional boundaries. Derogatory, racist or discriminatory comments posted on personal profiles can have employment consequences if the author clearly identifies himself as an employee of the company or if the comments are directed against co-workers.

Posting humiliating photos of a colleague taken without permission, or writing aggressive hints in WhatsApp statuses that all colleagues can see, contributes to the creation of a cyberbullying environment.

Company policy should clarify that digital respect is mandatory and that freedom of expression does not cover defamation or hate speech against the work community.

The "Right to Disconnect" as a Limit to Harassment

Respecting break times is critical to preventing invasive harassment.

In a hyper-connected world, leaders must understand that contacting a subordinate outside of their workday for non-urgent matters is a boundary transgression.

If this behavior becomes chronic, it amounts to workplace harassment due to disrespect for private and family life.

Establishing clear limits on the use of instant messaging and e-mails on weekends is not only