Harassment at Work
According to one study, one in three women ages 18-34 has been sexually harassed at work. 25% of those women were harassed online, but 71% did not report it.
If you are in a work situation and are being made uncomfortable by sexual harassment, you should begin recording the incidents. Often larger cases are built on a record of small indictments, which must be documented properly in order to be used as evidence. If you are unsure whether an encounter is harassment, record it because the incidents may worsen as time goes on.
Then, report your situation. Many companies have policies in place as to how harassment is handled, and you should follow the company’s directions. If you feel that the company has not followed through, you can seek outside legal counsel.
Because LinkedIn is a networking site, some people treat it as a dating site and women are harassed. Be aware that posting your resume reveals your email address and phone number on the header. Delete it from the version you post.
Protect yourself:
- Before accepting a LinkedIn connection, check to see if you have connections in common, or whether the person works in your industry.
- If you decide to block an unsolicited message, click on the 3 dots on the top right and then click Report this conversation.
- You can block that person from contacting you or viewing your profile: go to the person’s profile, click More>Report/Block and follow the directions.
- If you upload your resume, delete your phone number, home address, and other contact information. If someone needs to contact you, they can do it through LinkedIn.
Ridesharing
Uber allows you to share your ride online with 5 trusted contacts, so your friends can follow your progress during your trip, and see that you arrive safely at your destination.
Lyft has their Send ETA feature, which allows you to send your route and Estimated Time of Arrival to a friend. For both Uber and Lyft, these features include the car’s make and model, license plate number and a photo of the driver.
Uber also is working on a 911 feature that will allow you to contact 911 and will automatically provide your location in real time to the police.
Stay safe:
- Make sure that you are getting into the right car: check license plate, make and model, and the driver’s name and photo.
- Do not let the driver know that your pick-up point or your destination is your home or employer.
- Check the driver’s reviews.
- Track your route while in the car. Make sure the driver is going in the appropriate route.
- If something doesn’t feel right, have the driver pull over and get out. Don’t worry about awkwardness or embarrassment.
If Your Phone is Lost
Our phones contain a lot of personal information. If your phone is lost or stolen, there are things that you can do to safeguard the contents of your phone.
- Password protect your phone.
- Locate your phone. If you have GPS on your phone, you can set it up to track the phone’s location. Go the link to find directions for Android or iphone.
- Erase your data. If you are sure that you are not getting your phone back, you can use apps to remotely erase all the data on your phone. Go the link below for directions on how to do so.
- Change the passwords for all your apps.
Please follow the link below for more detailed information. Our thanks to vpn.mentor for making this valuable information available to women.
www.vpnmentor.com/blog/the-empowering-internet-safety-guide-for-women/