Why would any organisation employ someone with a revenge mentality at the level of trolling?
Photo by Flex Point Security on Unsplash
As the pandemic continues and more and more people work from home, reports over the last year have indicated how bad online trolling has become. You may have even read of incidents like Zoom meetings being virtually ‘gatecrashed’ and participants abused! Seemingly nowhere is safe from trolls and their desire to hurt their victims. That’s the pathology of a troll; constantly looking to break down and destroy from the shadows rather than have the courage to work through differences with others. It’s the kind of pathology that tragically leads to children and adults taking their own lives. We have certainly experienced this pathology first-hand at Lighthouse International Group with our trolls.
But what happens if a business employs a troll who is using their company time and premises to troll their victims? Surely they can’t be held responsible for them, right? Wrong! Ben Thompson wrote for Personnel Today:
"But what happens if an employer discovers one of their staff has been found cyberbullying someone? While the individual themselves could be handed a short prison sentence or a £5,000 fine, employers can also be handed a fine if they are made aware of their staff’s actions and don’t undertake the correct measures to discipline, or remove the troll from the company."
Furthermore The Equality and Human Rights Commission reports that employers need to be:
"..against discrimination, harassment and harm committed by employees in the process of employment, regardless of whether they know or approve of those acts will be legally liable.”
As a result of the increasing prevalence of trolls employed by businesses and the risks to them highlighted above, Lighthouse International will be supporting businesses through our Businesses Against Trolls Initiative. We have found that businesses are often completely unaware that they are employing a troll and they would have never employed them if they had known the pathology of that employee in the first place! The pathology is such that it can lead to toxic work environments; affecting key relationships inside and outside of the organisation. Therefore we see it as our duty to help fellow businesses given our experiences of being trolled.
We also want to ensure the victims of trolls are supported through this and our Parents Against Trolls initiative. How could a parent at work concentrate on doing their best if they are, or their children, are being trolled? It’s time to put trolls in their place legally.
If you want to find out more about Business Against Trolls and our planned Global Summit for Businesses Against Trolls & Trolling, then please contact us.