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    Lostinlosangele's Avatar
    Lostinlosangele Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Feb 14, 2009, 10:36 PM
    Hostile environment
    I work at a company that has a very hostile environment. There are two specific co workers who have created this environment and management seems to do very little about it.

    Person A is someone I dated and learned that he has a very bad temper towards women. Before supervisors, management & HR spoke to him he would find reasons to come around me simply to make me uncomfortable. They have told me they talked to him and told him to stay away from whenever possible. At work he has done this but he has spoken to other co workers that sit by him. These people I use to talk to daily no longer speak to me. This person is now stalking me outside work in subtle ways. A few days ago he called a close friend of mine during work hours. I am filing a restraining order against him Monday morning and have notified my supervisor, manager & HR. This person also has told me (when we were on talking terms) that he has a sexual harassment complaint against him and a supervisor said other women have complained and don’t want to sit around him.

    Person B is a control freak and simply likes to make life miserable for anyone who doesn’t do as he says. He sends emails that says one thing and verbally says another. I have missed several breaks because they were not given to me by this supervisor as he said was policy. Now he says that is not true that I take them when I need them but then says something else. In addition all employees must finger print clock in, let a lead or supervisor know when we want a break, sign in & out, let supervisor or leads known when we want or are granted a lunch (in and out) and leave work and finger print out. We are no longer allowed to sit at our desk for any breaks. Insist we see him in person for any reason but then says we have to handle our own problems with clients or says he’s too busy to talk to us if we can even find him.

    Even though I have officially let all managers know I am highly allergic to perfumes they allow heavy perfumes to be sprayed and worn at work. I literally breathe badly (asthma) when it’s used and only once has an email been sent and the email was very condescending.

    The stress is so bad I’m having anxiety attacks frequently and I’m trying to find counseling I can afford to deal with the stress and depression.
    I am creating a time line of events and talking to a lawyer next week. Do I have any legal rights against this company… a case? I told the HR manager today on a voicemail that I didn't believe this was fair that this person (person A) still worked there and makes me feel so uncomfortable especially when he has supposedly have previous complaints against him. Was that stupid? I've been horribly upset all day over his stalking. I can't afford to quiet and the jobs in my field are few...
    twinkiedooter's Avatar
    twinkiedooter Posts: 12,172, Reputation: 1054
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    #2

    Feb 15, 2009, 01:59 PM

    I am allergic to most perfumes also. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about your situation and the more waves you do make the more you are working yourself out the door so to speak.

    One thing I've found from working in offices for over 40 years is this... management does not like whiners or complainers and they generally will go out of their way to get rid of them as they consider them to lower the morale of everybody else. Yep. Been there done that several times. And each time I was always given the short end of the stick.

    Just going down and filing paperwork against Mr.Jerk is not the answer either. Having filed orders like you intend to do only led my stalker to get worse, much worse. If anything it was like throwing gasoline on an already raging fire. Would not suggest you do this. Please, I've been there and can tell you from personal experience this will definitely not work.

    Consulting an attorney about this is just going to cost you money that you don't already have to squander. Don't bother as I don't see where your company has done anything wrong except hired Mr.Jerk and let him run the show.

    You need to calm down and be rational about this and stop hyperinflating the situation. You are working yourself up over nothing. Yes, I know about the perfume stuff as I would get instant migraines from a coworker's stench every morning less than 5 minutes after she arrived at the job. I'd feel fine, be in a good mood, then when she'd come in I'd be hit over the head with a baseball bat (figuratively that is) and have the headache from hell for the rest of the day. She also smoked cigarettes (before the days of no smoking offices) which would only intensify my headaches and exacerbate an already hurting head to the point where I wanted to hit her over the head with a baseball bat literally. The company I worked for did do something for me. They put me in a room all by myself with a closed door. This solved my heath problems (yea) but it did isolate me from the rest of the big office.

    You have to remember, he's been there longer than you have and the company is certainly not going to get rid of him even if he keeps harassing you. He's a control freak you said. Well, more than likely someone else is going to burst his cute little bubble soon, so why not just sit back and wait it out?

    Just calm down and stop dwelling on this problem at work and do your work and stop complaining about him. If they haven't done anything to him, it looks like they are not going to do anything about him either.

    Just keep to yourself until either you find another job or he leaves the company. Either way, you are trying to buck the system and I know from personal experience you will be the loser, not him.
    Lostinlosangele's Avatar
    Lostinlosangele Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Feb 15, 2009, 06:53 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by twinkiedooter View Post
    Just going down and filing paperwork against Mr.Jerk is not the answer either. Having filed orders like you intend to do only led my stalker to get worse, much worse. If anything it was like throwing gasoline on an already raging fire. Would not suggest you do this.

    Just calm down and stop dwelling on this problem at work and do your work and stop complaining about him. If they haven't done anything to him, it looks like they are not going to do anything about him either.

    Just keep to yourself until either you find another job or he leaves the company. Either way, you are trying to buck the system and I know from personal experience you will be the loser, not him.
    I thank you for answering but I don't accept it. The jerk supervisor I see your point and OK... Nothing can be done. I accept that. But the preditor has a history and the company knows about it. That makes him a libilty and a danger to other women. If he dones something to me before, during or directly after work it is or should be their responsibility. The should be held lible as they know what he is capable of doing.
    Fr_Chuck's Avatar
    Fr_Chuck Posts: 81,301, Reputation: 7692
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    #4

    Feb 15, 2009, 07:14 PM

    1 if the one person is doing things off work hours, there is nothing the company can do about that. They can do things about what he is doing at work. If he is harassing you off work, that is a legal and police matter to deal with.

    2. bad supervisor, if he is just enforcing every rule, nothing you can do about it, expect hope for a better boss next time,
    ** on breaks, when it is time you just take it, and inform

    3 perfume, normally not much you can do, in fact often the more you complain, they will do more to spite you. I have known employees who got air masks to use.c

    But no, they have no liablity at all for what anyone does after work or before work, and can not be held responsible. Their time starts only during working times. And/or on company property.

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