America Undercover - Sexual Harassment in the Telecommuter's Workplace (Part 1 of a 26 Part Series)

It occurred to me the other day, we often hear about sexual harassment in the workplace. But, what about when your workplace is your home? We never hear about the rampant sexual harassment that takes place in thousands of home offices every day.

Sadly, I know first hand, the reality of this problem.

For the victims, the stories are very similar. We may be on a call, we may be busy updating a spreadsheet, when inevitably, our spouse/partner/significant other calls, with a request that we "have the bed warmed up for a nooner," or "get the belt sander, the fireman's hat, and a drop cloth over your desk, I am 5 minutes from home."

(I still have nightmares over one particular phone call, in which I was told that my "employee review was ready, and it looks like someone was very, very bad.")

Inevitably, we are met with laughter and derision when we say, "I am right in the middle of a call," or "I really need to get this project done." Our protests are often answered with sarcastic sneers. As Andrea often says, "Yeah, well, this employee needs to get something done, and you have 10 minutes or you're fired."

Many people report that their spouses enjoy playing the gruff boss. Many a time, Andrea has told me, "The boss is coming home for lunch, and the boss is hungry." I don't even know what that means, yet before I know it, I find myself setting all instant messengers to "Be right back," turning on the out-of-office email, getting out an icepack and some Motrin, and beginning the long walk upstairs.

Most home office employees all point to the perception that no one seems to take their work all that seriously. Even though we have the same deadlines, workloads, and responsibilities, they are taken much more lightly, because we work in Hello Kitty pajamas, while sitting in a den with shag carpet, drinking Sanka.

Sadly, this problem remains swept under the rug. Yet, as more and more people shift to telecommuting, society will be faced to look at this long and hard.

(That's what she said.)