They went today to report it to her management since she was too nervous to go by herself. Should anything else be done?
She is being called obscene names that women are called and the man is refusing to work.
No advice, but keep us posted
She should keep a log of everything that happens. Dates, times, places, specific things said, people who said them, people who were nearby and may have overheard, etc. Put visiting HR in the log too.
@greenwitch That is a good idea. Recording the witnesses. I wasn’t sure how most HRs handle this.
Definitely log everything. She can email herself everytime it happens, which saves the trouble of time and date notation and is quick to do. Also, a pocket size personal recorder, or a recording app on her phone , can be used to record him if she has the chance to see him headed her way.
Telling management is important, she should also tell her immediate manager and/or coworkers around her. But she should be prepared for people to not care. There’s a tendancy to want to stay out of thi stuff – but it’s equally likely she’s not the only one. Good for her, for speaking up.
@greenbutton She is so shy in general. So it was a big deal. I was just wondering if she should leave her post ( she works at a deli counter) if she is being verbally abused and report at the time. Finishing the shift under that verbal harassment is a really hard.
Also she could try to switch jobs to a different store but I hate that she would have to leave and the guy will just harass the next woman.
Is he a co-worker or her manager?
@Consolation Just a fellow worker.
HR people can chime in…Based on my experience, she should tell the offender(s) that she takes offense to what they are doing. It could be in an email, so she would have a record. If she were to report it to her manager or HR, they have to deal with it. It is a big liability to a company to have sexual harassment complaint outstanding. Once it is reported, HR/compliance/legal are obligated to do a full investigation and report to management (board) on result/resolution.
Recording is a good idea but be absolutely 100% sure to check your state laws first to make sure it’s legal to record without the other party’s consent.
It sounds as if they are both employees at a supermarket? If it is a chain, they must have published policies. She and your S should look at them.
Generally, I think it is key that she not do anything that could give them an excuse to fire her…using her phone to email herself notes might qualify.
I think her first step should have been to go to the manager of the department. Is that person in the area during her shift? Has s/he witnessed this behavior? I’m sort of assuming that this person saves it for times when he isn’t witnessed. Has he worked there for a long time, or is he relatively new?
Just be careful with this. It’s not legal in every state to record someone without his/her knowledge.
@Consolation I will have her check the grocery store policy. That is a good idea. It is happening when no one else is around. She went to HR and reported with the help of my son. They asked for a write up. She thinks he has been there awhile. But she is new.
I’ll check out recording laws for us. Thanks.
While you check on the recording laws in your state (for instance, in my state, NY, a recording is legal if one party is aware of it - this served us very well when one of my sons was being bullied by a teacher), ascertain whether or not there are any surveillance cameras in the store. If there’s one in the department the girl works in, for keeping tabs of theft or whatever, ask that HR view it with her. Has she spoken to any other women at the place to see if he has done this to anyone else?
I don’t see that sending herself notes in the phone to keep track of things is a problem unless she is not allowed to use a cell phone at work. In that case, she can make her notes on her breaks. I would suggest that she send each note to your son as a backup and to show it was done contemporaneously.
Good luck, there is nothing grosser than men harassing young girls.
@anomander @romanigypsyeyes Our state just requires one party to consent to taping a conversation not two. So I think that means we can secretly tape?
Apparently in two party consent states you have to pull out your recorder, push p!ay and ask, “You don’t mind if I record this?”
@techmom99 That’s a good idea, surveillance tape. And I’ll have her send him a copy of the incidents as they happen. Though I don’t know if he’s be so upset he would go to her work. He made her dinner tonight. She is working but will be home soon.
She doesn’t even need a recording app. She can just record it as a video and not worry about the image if it’s just sitting in her purse or wherever.
I would be more concerned that phone use while on duty would be a firing offense. In which case recording on breaks would be the best she could do.
But back to the other question: is a supervisor there?
Not sure^