A young gay man recently wrote a letter to a columnist anonymously named, as many are, Amy. The young man described working in a hostile work environment created by a sexually harassing boss. Although the sexual harassment had been directed at women in the past, this man said that each day his boss was turning more of this harassment towards him as well.
The man said that beyond demeaning employees, the boss would “comment on [his] looks and clothes, occasionally telling [him] that [he] looks handsome.” The man wrote that he has even noticed his boss “staring at [his] butt and touching himself as he says he needs to use the bathroom.” In the least, it made him uncomfortable.
This man wrote that absent his boss’s actions, he loved his job and he wasn’t worried that he was going to lose it. The man said that he was reluctant to file a claim concerning the harassment, because he didn’t think he had any solid proof. Besides, the boss has already “denied other charges brought up by other employees to HR.”
“Amy” gave some good advice, like telling the man to make sure that he documents every instance of harassment and exactly how any complaint was handled. A column is a good way to get some free advice, but this advice isn’t always based on the law, nor will it provide employees with the legal relief they may be eligible for.
A San Fernando Valley employment law attorney can help those in the area that are working in a hostile work environment or have suffered an adverse employment action enforce their rights.
Source: San Jose Mercury News, “Ask Amy: Sexual harassment not overt,” Amy Dickinson, Feb. 7, 2014