Sexual Harassment Stories and Experiences

 Melissa, England   

     I am currently being sexually harassed at work by my boss. I am 20 years old and he is 50. I work in a department store and it began when I was moved into his department last year.

     At first he got me to trust him and became my friend, but there was always something underlying that I was unsure of, I liked him but I didn’t trust being alone with him. At first it was just way he would insist on taking me up alone in the lift, and make inappropriate comments about being alone together. He is always stroking my shoulders and pinching my waist and hips, running his hands down my back, he makes jokes to other colleagues that me and him meet for sex on our days off. He asks me what colour underwear I have on, and he tells me what I had on the day before. He has brushed a child’s wand all the way up my arm and then asked if he could play with me with it. He is always accidentally on purpose hitting my breasts then saying ‘oops’ afterwards. He did it so subtly at first I didn’t even know he was doing it i just thought he was friendly, but its getting worse and worse. Its kind of a running joke with my colleagues that I am his favourite, and that he spends all his time with me.

     I have told a few people on my department that he makes me uncomfortable, I even told my section head about a couple of the incidents, she told me he has been in trouble for it before and that I should report him. My friends have told me to keep a diary of what he does every day, its dated and has the names of witnesses. The thing is I can’t report him, people know what he’s like but they like him too. I don’t want to be known as the person who reported him.  I’m embarrassed and I love my job, and I don’t want it to change.  Also, a part of me still likes him, even though he scares and intimidates me. I just want him to stop leering at me and touching me and making lewd innuendo’s.  He’s older than my father. I don’t think he will ever stop, and I’m too scared to try to stop him. 

     Every day I go in wondering how far he will take it this time. I wish I had the strength to regain control but I don’t, I think its gone on too long now to stop it anyway. I’m just hoping that this is as far he will try to take it.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2007 at 6:42 pm and is filed under Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.