Hey Queens,
I need advice about workplace sexual harassment that I'm experiencing at the moment. I'm currently on shut down work in central Queensland with a 60+ year old male colleague.
I've never met this guy before last week. I've only been working for this new company for 2 months. The first incident happened where he constantly demanded I smile for him. The first time it happened it left me a bit reeled but I brushed it off. The second time it happened i told him no, I won't thank you. The third time it happened I was completing permits etc and he got right in my face and demanded I smile again. I asked him straight up with alot of attitude why should I? What have I got to smile about. The fourth time it happened I asked him to stop asking me to smile and looked quite pissed off and upset about it. He just kept on with this creepy grin and kept pushing.
The last time it happened I was getting in the truck, and the first thing he says to me when I open the door is "smile would you?". I lost my shit. I raised my voice and told him to stop telling me to smile. He says "why?" I yelled "because it's sexist!". He got SUPER mad and said "excuse me?!".
I repeated that it was sexist to demand a woman to smile in the work place. He grumbled about how he "says it to men too" 🙄
After we got onsite he rang management. He complained how he got offended by me calling him sexist. What he didn't know is he essentially dobbed himself in. Management rang me and asked me what happened. I said I've been putting up with him demanding me to smile for him for over a week and I snapped. Management said they have my back and it is never to happen again. They will give him a warning and if he does it again, he's out. True to their word he got spoken to.
Now come to today. He's stepped up his game. My work is very physically demanding and often times requires help. Whilst performing work I started noticing that he was "accidentally" brushing my breasts. First time it happened I let it go because I was holding something near my chest and thought, hey it can happen... Maybe it wasn't intentional. But then it happened again...
I step outside the booth because my alarms where ringing and my gut was telling me to get out. I pick up some paper work and he comes out and starts talking work related stuff. All of a sudden, he says "bug" and puts his hand on my left breast and makes a sweeping motion across it to get whatever was on there, off. I look to the ground and I don't see anything...
My inner waters are telling me to RUN from this fucking creep. I go over to the crib room and he leaves me be until lunch break. He pulls up beside me in the truck and yells " I wondered where MY (OP name) was"
Ladies, I don't know what to do. If I raise this with management he can plausibly deny touching me and say it was an accident etc. You all know what happens to us women who "make a fuss". I'm isolated in a small QLD town with no one here but me and him. He knows he has me cornered. How can I protect myself until next Wednesday. I'm documenting EVERYTHING. Do I wait to see if something else happens tomorrow and if it does call the office and tell them to pull me from the job? Do I make a preemptive strike and call now?
Sincerely yours, An isolated and scared Queen
Edit update Thank you guys so much for all your support! I've notified management of what's been happening. I spoke to my boss last night and didn't even get halfway through telling what happened before he cut me off and said, I'm sorry I need to ring Rob right now (our CEO) were pulling you out, that's not ok. Within a matter of 20 minutes they've booked me a private plane back to Brisbane so I don't have to drive the truck back. My boss said he supports me 100% and this should never have happened. They're getting me out this afternoon! In all honesty they did the right thing, but I'm now going to have to deal with the fallout from the other men because I've spoken up and potentially ruined a man's career. We all know how men think. But thank you again! I'm safe!
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