Economic crisis, social networks and more: court cases show the most common forms of electoral harassment at work

The number of lawsuits and complaints for moral harassment at work is growing. Pressure to share political propaganda on WhatsApp, the requirement for "saints" on personal profiles, social media surveillance and threats related to employment. These are some of the most frequent situations in electoral harassment cases that have reached the Labor Court in recent years and were analyzed in an unprecedented survey by the Superior Labor Court (TST), released exclusively to g1. ?? Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send it to g1 The study shows how political pressure occurs within companies and which strategies are most frequently used against workers during election periods. (learn more below) Many of these lawsuits were filed after the worker left their job, causing cases of an election to appear the following year. Since 2023, the Labor Court has registered 738 electoral harassment cases in the country. The data is in the National Electoral Harassment Monitoring Panel (PNMAE), created after the establishment of specific mechanisms to identify these cases. ?? The number of complaints is much greater than the number of cases that reach the Court. In 2022, for example, the MPT received 3,370 reports of electoral harassment, a record for the series. In 2026, so far, there have been 74 — but the electoral campaign has just started. It is in this set of cases that the TST sought to understand how electoral harassment happens in practice. The court carried out qualitative research with 138 cases from all regions of the country, selected from a statistically valid sample. Psychological terror is the most common form The most recurrent modality identified in the processes was the so-called psychological terror, present in 81.9% of the cases analyzed. ? This is the dissemination of alarmist narratives about possible electoral results. Examples include messages associating the victory of a certain candidate with the closure of companies, loss of jobs, salary reductions, economic crisis or social collapse. The digital environment is also one of the main means of carrying out electoral harassment. Virtual tools were present in 67.4% of the processes analyzed. The research identified practices such as: creating WhatsApp groups for political propaganda; mandatory sending of electoral content; requirement to share political messages; obligation to place "saints" on personal statuses; monitoring workers’ social networks; monitoring the political position of employees. According to the TST, WhatsApp appears to be the main technological tool used in electoral harassment practices. Economic threats Another recurring mechanism identified by the research was economic pressure. It was present in 61.6% of the processes analyzed and includes situations such as: threats of dismissal; threats linked to salary; loss of function or benefits; promises of financial benefits; offering prizes and rewards associated with political positions. The study also points out that electoral harassment is rarely restricted to the isolated conduct of a boss. In 92% of the processes analyzed, characteristics of institutional harassment were found, when political pressure is associated with the company's own organizational structure or culture. In these cases, the research identified the involvement of senior management in harassment practices, in addition to the use of corporate channels for party political propaganda. Internal meetings with electoral content, guidance on how to speak out and calls for employees to participate in campaign activities, such as motorcades and leafleting, were also reported. In some cases, working hours were also used for activities related to elections. According to the TST, most of the actions are concentrated in five states. São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina together account for around 56.3% of registered cases. The absolute majority of cases were presented by the workers themselves. Of the 738 cases registered, 644 were filed by individuals. Justice reinforced monitoring Electoral harassment began to have its own identification in the Labor Court system in 2023, after the publication of CSJT Resolution No. 355. Today, the topic has: specific classification in the Electronic Judicial Process (PJe); permanent national monitoring; statistical panel updated periodically; territorial identification of cases; monitoring by economic activity; real-time monitoring in first, second and third degrees. In July this year, the rule was updated. Judges who identify signs of electoral harassment must immediately notify the Electoral Public Ministry and the Public Labor Ministry. Since August 1st, the Labor Court has also been on duty to analyze urgent measures related to reports of electoral harassment, such as threats. What the Court can determine In addition to compensation, the Labor Court can determine measures to stop electoral harassment, such as removing irregular content, publishing communications, promoting campaigns and training, creating reporting channels and prevention programs. It may also prohibit the monitoring of workers' political positions or the use of the company's structure for electoral propaganda. Non-compliance may result in daily fines and compensation for individual and collective moral damages. Electronic ballot box for voting in Brazilian elections Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil