Harassment at work

I work at a fund where I'm the only female. Recently, I received an email sent from a personal email address by an employee at a financial services firm that says they have been receiving screenshots about me from work for over a year. They work at a publicly traded firm; the firm has a publicly available code of conduct that seems to forbid misuse of non public / confidential information, which I think workplace screenshots from another financial services firm would qualify. 

I'm curious if you guys think this constitutes harassment? HR / manager won't be an option (small firm). Curious what you guys think.

Thanks

10 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, your situation raises serious concerns about both harassment and compliance violations. Here's a breakdown:

  1. Harassment:

    • The act of sharing workplace screenshots about you, especially if they are non-public or confidential, can be considered a form of harassment. It demonstrates a targeted and inappropriate focus on you, particularly if the content is being used to undermine or harm your reputation.
    • The consistent "negging" behavior from the individual at your workplace further supports a pattern of harassment. Negging, or making subtly negative comments, can create a hostile work environment, especially when combined with the sharing of screenshots.
  2. Compliance Issues:

    • If the screenshots contain non-public or confidential information, this could be a violation of the publicly traded firm's code of conduct, as well as your own firm's policies. Sharing such information across firms is a serious breach of professional ethics and could have legal implications.
    • The identifiable nature of the email sender and the overlap with the individual at your firm strengthens your case for investigating this as a compliance issue.
  3. Next Steps:

    • Since HR or your manager is not an option, consider consulting with a legal professional who specializes in workplace harassment or compliance issues. They can guide you on how to document the situation and potentially escalate it to the appropriate regulatory bodies if necessary.
    • Preserve all evidence, including the email, screenshots (if accessible), and any records of the negging behavior. This documentation will be crucial if you decide to take legal action or report the issue to a higher authority.
  4. Alternative Reporting Channels:

    • If your firm has a whistleblower or anonymous reporting mechanism, consider using it to report the compliance breach.
    • You might also explore reporting the issue to the compliance department of the publicly traded firm where the email sender works, as they may take action against the individual for violating their code of conduct.

This situation is both complex and serious, so seeking professional advice and taking measured steps to protect yourself is essential.

Sources: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Give me your phone or your fired

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

Just following up - for those interested, I now have a lawyer. He think this is compliance red flag and harassment/ disparagement based on the email (which had more details). For those who are interested, we are not doing anything now / just wait and see more. But he mentioned for those who don’t want to escalate fully, they can always submit these violations to company’s ethics hotline and generally will have an internal investigation for work information crossed walls without authorization (doesn’t have to be financial data), and on the receiving end it’s also a violation to receive information that’s clearly internal / unauthorized and also disclose its receipt.


Hope it helps to others if ever needed.

 

This angle is a bit ridiculous.  While your gender may not be entirely the reason your comment is ridiculous, it seems to be impacting it.

Best case scenario, someone is sending Bob company information via screenshots of Jane's work or at work. This would be a clear violation of company privacy policy by whoever is sending this to Bob. Jane should get a lawyer and keep track of these messages, and ask for the screenshots to verify.

Worst case scenario, someone is sending unconsented illicit photos of Jane to Bob. (Not uncommon issue for women). Again Jane should get a lawyer, keep track of the communication, and ask for the screenshots.

Less possible best case scenario, Bob is sending way to many emails to Jane and the screenshots are nothing related to spying on Jane or illicit photos so Jane must change jobs.

 

Vitae fuga corrupti ad iusto ea et sunt. Quos eligendi accusamus et aut sit non. Ut unde nisi error ullam illum eos. Sit fuga et eveniet cupiditate repudiandae.

Sunt eligendi quia sequi tempora doloremque. Est deleniti placeat eius et voluptatem quae.

Quas neque similique accusamus ducimus sequi et praesentium. Recusandae rerum a cumque. Ea sed quidem quia quod. Fuga qui dolorem sit non. Sed ad temporibus et modi non excepturi nam. Omnis quae ut amet vitae sequi nesciunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Millennium Partners 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”