Starlight_Dreamer
Dec 29, 2007, 08:43 PM
This is pretty long so I want to thank anyone who reads it or responds.
This is something that has been bugging me for some time. I am a male. I work for a nonprofit agency assisting clients in learning skills for independent living.
While working at this company I have been asked if I had problems with gay people by a supervisor who was bisexual.
I was falsely accused of sexual harassment by a coworker who had previously been fired from the company due to assault. She was not elligible for rehire, but after a number of years, she gained a lot of weight, died her hair, and changed her last name through marriage. The accusation was part of her plans to bring charges against the company, and I was a pawn. I had to go through the steps of an investigation and file my statements against the accusations. Prior to her accusations, I did report to management that she was spreading untrue rumors about me to other coworkers, yet I was forced to work with her, or show up when she was present with no other staff around.
Also, other female coworkers in the past have admitted to talking about sex in front of me because they knew such conversations make me uncomfortable. I stated numerous times that I didn't want to hear it, citing sexual harassment as an issue, and they just laughed at me saying that men talk about sex all the time so they could too.
Recently, I was not promoted and guess who was given the position over me? Despite the fact that I have a higher degree and have worked with the individuals longer, a woman was hired with the reason that she had been with the company longer.
There are currently no males in management at the company.
Some of the women supervisors have been saying that they want to make the place look more girlish instead of like a bachelor's pad. They also sent a female staff member out to do some shopping to get the woman's touch on the purchases despite me being in charge of the area where the purchases were for.
Today, I was told that I must complete a list of cleaning chores this weekend. No other staff has ever been assigned such a directive. The work did need to be done, but will not be inspected until Friday, so there was no need to demand it in two days. The work also was not in any way done to help the clients learn because they would not participate. The note clearly states" "YOU" MUST do this on Saturday and Sunday.
Unlike the shopping, I was assigned the tasks because it was an area that I was responsible for?? Seems like it is only when it suits their purposes?
I had two female supervisors come to check on my progress during the day. I have never had that happen before either, so I know something is going on. Especially since they both came at different times on a weekend! In three years, I have not seen a supervisor show up on a weekend.
I did voice my opinion to both of them that I thought the expectation was unreasonable. Cleaning crews would have charged more than I got paid. I felt that I was being used to do something that was not in my job duties since no other staff has ever been assigned such a load in that time frame. The supervisor came back with saying that she had... Of course she had no written orders to do it, and if she did do it, it was not ordered in that way.
I believe that one of those women want my job. I think they are trying to do things so I will quit or be moved to another location. I have also heard them start talking to one of the women clients that she might feel more comfortable if another woman helped her instead of a man.
Other incidents include female workers making comments about how cute some of the men are and then hushing each other up after I have already heard part of the conversation.
Am I experiencing sexual discrimination or harassment in the workplace? What steps can I take to prove my suspicions?
This is something that has been bugging me for some time. I am a male. I work for a nonprofit agency assisting clients in learning skills for independent living.
While working at this company I have been asked if I had problems with gay people by a supervisor who was bisexual.
I was falsely accused of sexual harassment by a coworker who had previously been fired from the company due to assault. She was not elligible for rehire, but after a number of years, she gained a lot of weight, died her hair, and changed her last name through marriage. The accusation was part of her plans to bring charges against the company, and I was a pawn. I had to go through the steps of an investigation and file my statements against the accusations. Prior to her accusations, I did report to management that she was spreading untrue rumors about me to other coworkers, yet I was forced to work with her, or show up when she was present with no other staff around.
Also, other female coworkers in the past have admitted to talking about sex in front of me because they knew such conversations make me uncomfortable. I stated numerous times that I didn't want to hear it, citing sexual harassment as an issue, and they just laughed at me saying that men talk about sex all the time so they could too.
Recently, I was not promoted and guess who was given the position over me? Despite the fact that I have a higher degree and have worked with the individuals longer, a woman was hired with the reason that she had been with the company longer.
There are currently no males in management at the company.
Some of the women supervisors have been saying that they want to make the place look more girlish instead of like a bachelor's pad. They also sent a female staff member out to do some shopping to get the woman's touch on the purchases despite me being in charge of the area where the purchases were for.
Today, I was told that I must complete a list of cleaning chores this weekend. No other staff has ever been assigned such a directive. The work did need to be done, but will not be inspected until Friday, so there was no need to demand it in two days. The work also was not in any way done to help the clients learn because they would not participate. The note clearly states" "YOU" MUST do this on Saturday and Sunday.
Unlike the shopping, I was assigned the tasks because it was an area that I was responsible for?? Seems like it is only when it suits their purposes?
I had two female supervisors come to check on my progress during the day. I have never had that happen before either, so I know something is going on. Especially since they both came at different times on a weekend! In three years, I have not seen a supervisor show up on a weekend.
I did voice my opinion to both of them that I thought the expectation was unreasonable. Cleaning crews would have charged more than I got paid. I felt that I was being used to do something that was not in my job duties since no other staff has ever been assigned such a load in that time frame. The supervisor came back with saying that she had... Of course she had no written orders to do it, and if she did do it, it was not ordered in that way.
I believe that one of those women want my job. I think they are trying to do things so I will quit or be moved to another location. I have also heard them start talking to one of the women clients that she might feel more comfortable if another woman helped her instead of a man.
Other incidents include female workers making comments about how cute some of the men are and then hushing each other up after I have already heard part of the conversation.
Am I experiencing sexual discrimination or harassment in the workplace? What steps can I take to prove my suspicions?