[Crazylion]

I had my dream job after waiting and looking over 11 years in my field to find what I was great at and loved. I had finally found my purpose and was making a difference.

It was only supposed to be a four to six week temp project assignment, but I accidently created a new position and department and my supervising attorney and one of the partners were posturing to hire me permanently. I was there three months.

From about the third day, one of the mail room guys, a 70 year old Vietnamese man started harrassing me. I don't want to make this really long but he started by propositioning me then always grabbing me, hugging me, kissing me on the cheek, then even grabbed me and stuck his tounge in my mouth. He would wait for me or follow me to my car on several occasions telling me he wanted me and begging. We went to lunch for noodles twice and each time was a trick where it ended with him one time telling me he wouldn't talk to to me and make me miserble at work becasue i wasnt doing what he wanted and then the last time two weeks ago, he got *****y at me and hen gave me classic attitude coming right out and saying that he was angry because I wouldn't screw him. Even when i told him many times I'm married and to please leave me along. he would trick me and apologize and act very contrite. But this last time he also told me he would give me anything i wanted if i would sleep with him.

I was so angry I yelled at him all of the way back to the office and told him if he hever spoike to me again or tried to make another move I was going to report him. I only wanted to work and not get into some BS sexual harrassment crap. This job was so important to me. He started saying he didn't understand and gave the impression act that he was a feeble old man who could barely speak english. I could tell he was giving me some message. He has been there almost 20 years too. and I was not a threat to him.

But last week he started following me everywhere but being very polite and professional and was stopping at my desk more than usual and it was not looking good because the week before when I came back from that last luch I was so upset my supervisor asked me to tell her what was wrong. She could see my cubicle from her office and saw him coming and going alot. I was very upset and told her half of the story, but didn't tell her who it was so she wasn't in the position to report it.

Thursday while I was at lunch he went into HR and told them i was making inappropriate advances to him. Before I returned my recruiter called me and told me to get my stuff and leave without talking to anyone and trust him. i left without tell the supervisor and partner who didn't know, and that's when I found out.

It was a "business decision" and before anything happened they had to "nip it in the bud." they loved me my work was exemplary, they are heartbroken they love me -- but it had to be done. The project is in a state that couldn't be worse for me to have left. All I care about is the work.

The supervisor emailed me and said she didn't know any details but that she wanted to give me references and recommendations. She is the only one I trust and so I responded with the rest of the entire harrassment history and the derogatory things he said to in order so she had it as he told me he had did it before and i know he will do it again.

I don't know if I should contact an attorney since i was a temp. My recruter, whom is a total asshole who obviously on cocaine, is trying to tell me that I have no recourse because I was a temp, but I read code and statutes for fun and I belief he is only trying to steer me away from the fact that his agency may have some liability in this.

I am so disappointed, but i will be ok. I will be going back to work making more money probably -- but it will be doing work that won't be as rewarding or important to me. I will keep an open mind.

Can anyone please give me advice and feedback. i need all i can get. Thank you so much for being here and listening.

ADHD, HPD

[Yoda]

Wow that is really awful how he treated you.

Sorry I don't have any advice.

That is so unfair but I don't have any advice. It is good that you are talking about it though--that 70 year old dude was a POS.

[Yzen]

Being a temp shouldn't mean the company can ignore sexual harassment. You could call an attorney's office to ask if they believe you should pursue an action. There are laws against this:
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sexual_harassment.cfm

[hvert]

That sucks I am glad you are going to get good references from the one supervisor. A consultation with a lawyer doesn't hurt, but this may be one of those incidents where you are better off just putting it behind you. If he is in his 70s, he may retire in a couple of years. If you continue friendly relations with the supervisor, maybe you could go back to that company then?

It makes you wonder, though - if he has been there, doing this for 20 years, it doesn't speak very well of the management.

[eyesclosed]

U certainly are very tolerent and forgiving. I know its hard to go to hr or who would ever u should have taken notes times dates and then when reported u you could have shown the notes to them .Do they Have cameras.

[seesaw]

Consult an attorney. They can't fire you without doing an investigation. Also if he was harassing you, you have recourse. An attorney may even take the case for free because they can get fees through damages.

I would not let this go or wait until he retires and try to go back. You need to stand up for yourself.

In the future, if someone behaves inappropriately with you, from the very start you need to report it to HR.

I'm sorry this happened to you.

Good luck,
seesaw

[Crazylion]

thanks for all of the support guys. it makes me feel better. i was never going to let this go without speaking to an attorney anyway. from what i understand at this point my state gives the same rights to temps as they do regular employees. i don't want to go back there now. i don't go back, but i do hate that the work, which was very important is now being effected.

i don't want to work for that firm anymore. i just wanted to go on working and ignore the who thing. he was just annoying me but my work wasn't affected. he just wanted t me fornot screwing him.

the harrassemet was too severe and he wouldn't let up but when he gave me attitude then got angry with me, that's when I lost my temper. that move would work when iwas a kid, but im 52 years old now and no one gives me attitude and then tries to handle me by a freak who doens't know me.

i'm calling the referral another family attorney friend old me about.

i'll keep you posted.

v

[Rojola]

I would go to an attorney. I think a jury would be hard-pressed to believe that a younger professional woman would make sexual advances at a degenerate 70 year old mail room clerk. There has to be a motive for cause. And what would be your motive for doing that? Nothing. Now, if It was your boss claiming these things it might be a little harder to disprove if he could claim you're trying to climb the corporate ladder via sexual advances. The one challenge you will have is why you didn't report it sooner.

[Crazylion]

It's been a very long time, but I forgot to tell you the outcome with the attorney. no dice. I was in this little pocket where basically I was screwed. I didn't report anything to tell anyone. I should have documented also. It cracks me up when they believe some women in congress about the judge and I can tell she's lying, but people like me who really were screwed, don't get a fair shake. Lesson very well learned.

I work from home anyway now and still get sexually harrassed constantly. Only this time, my husband is doing the harrassing and I don't mind.

[redCanine3669]

i'm sorry you got sexually harassed at work. I read about this kind of behavior every weekend on Twitter. A lot of women experience workplace harassment and news reporters publicize the incidents. Publicizing is a way of informing and outreaching to the other women he might have harassed or will harass in the future, but some employers have employees sign some shady nondisclosure agreements.

[divine1966]

Wow. So you got fired at the end. Grabbing you against your will and sticking tongue in your mouth against your will would qualify for sexual assault not just work place harassment. That warrants police report. Not sure what’s the deal about going to lunches with him. Was it because he threatened you with violence if you don’t go with him or you actually liked his company? I am kind of speechless here about the whole thing.

Your husband harasses you too? Or you are just jocking?

[redCanine3669]

I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't jocking. Even in the bible I read, husbands have greater power over their wives, contradicting modern ideas of marriage being equal power relationships.

I feel the best way to combat discrimination is to inform and to spread awareness. The more women are educated and informed, the better they can identify and avoid potential abusers. Even this thread is a good step towards such informing and awareness.