#WorkplaceHarassment #Consent #LegalAdvice #BystanderEffect
Hey everyone, I could really use your insights on something that’s been weighing heavily on my mind. 😊
So, I just had a pretty unsettling experience at work. Here’s a quick rundown: I’m a 22-year-old traveling veterinary assistant, and recently I was teamed up with a Brazilian vet who’s in his 40s. After a day of work, we went for drinks and – although we were just chatting about work and family – things took a really weird turn.
After hitting a weed pen at his hotel (which I thought was harmless), he blocked my exit and tried to kiss me, even touching my breast! 😳 I was totally taken aback and told him no repeatedly as I managed to leave. Later, I reported this incident to HR, hoping for a serious resolution.
**Here are the pain points I’m dealing with:**
– **Feeling Unsafe:** It’s incredibly unsettling to think that someone you trust can cross boundaries like that. 🚫
– **Unsatisfactory HR Response:** HR told me that what he did was wrong, but they also said my choice to go to his room for a smoke was misguided. This makes me feel blamed and unsupported.
– **Continuing Work Relationship:** I’m being told to maintain a professional relationship with him and can’t share my experience with other employees. How is that fair? 🤔
I’ve also learned that I’m not alone; he’s made advances on others too, which raises serious concerns about the work environment.
**Possible Solutions:**
– **Encouraging Open Dialogue:** I believe companies should foster an environment where employees can discuss their experiences without fear of repercussions.
– **Clear Policies on Harassment:** There should be zero tolerance for such behavior and clear consequences for offenders, regardless of cultural differences.
So, here’s my question for you: **What steps would you take when facing something like this? Have any of you experienced a similar situation, and if so, how did you handle it?** Your advice and stories would really help! 💬
Feel free to share your thoughts below!
It seems a lot of commenters are missing key facts in your story here. The company cannot bar you from talking about your experience with your coworkers if you feel that you were targeted by him on the basis of your sex (which obviously you were). If you find out that more women employees were sexually harassed by him, and if you can get some/all of them to join you, you could have a case that allowing this man to continue working at the company shows a pattern of discriminatory behavior based on sex. Book a free consultation with an employment attorney. (I am NAL but worked as a paralegal at the ACLU for some time.)
You should not file a case right now because you have not suffered an adverse employment action. If you are fired, harassed, demoted, retaliated against, or suffer a hostile work environment, file then. For now, document everything.
Also, they cannot prohibit you from talking about what happened to you and cannot punish you for doing so.
What country are you from and where is the home office?
Yes