Sexual Harassment: Women Feel Powerless

Rochester, NYAlthough there are laws that prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace, it still occurs far more frequently than many people know. Sometimes the harassment is subtle while other times it is obvious. No matter what form sexual harassment takes, it always makes the recipient feel uncomfortable.

Jacqueline C. says it has taken her a long time to come forward with her story of harassment because she felt powerless when it happened. Like many women, Jacqueline did not realize until well after the fact that the harassment was not her fault and her company should have protected her. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is the victim who faces repercussions at work, even though she is completely innocent in the matter.

"I had been hired by the bank in 1995," Jacqueline says. "I was hired to be a supermarket banker, which was a new concept at the time. My job was to do banking and sell securities at the branch. The bank paid for all my training and I was sent to school to get my securities license. I was placed in a branch that was very close to my home, which I had requested because I was a single mother with two children.

"There were five people to each branch: a teller, a supervisor and three salespersons/bank people, which I was. I was good at my job; the president of the program even called me personally and was quite impressed with my work.

"Within a week of starting at the branch, the harassment started. It was from my supervisor and it started subtly but then became less subtle. He would talk about my sexy clothing and how I looked. His comments were, 'I love those tight skirts on you,' or 'Next time you wear a dress it should show more cleavage.' After the tenth comment, I went to his supervisors and told them that I was being harassed, I did not like it and I wanted it to stop.

"They must have said something to him because his attitude changed. The next week, I had to attend a meeting with a higher up from the bank and one of the bank's attorneys. They said the only thing they could do was move me to a different branch, which was further away. They did not offer to move the man who was harassing me.

"I felt very intimidated at that meeting. I felt like I was being badgered. They never told me about a sexual harassment policy at the time. I had the choice to either move to a far away branch or stay at the one I was at. I had to decline the move to a new branch because I needed something close to home.

"The harassment continued after the meeting. Three months later, they dismissed me with no cause and a week later, they dismissed my supervisor [the one who was harassing me] with no cause. Other people in the branch were aware of the harassment. He made some of the comments in front of other people. I remember the look on their faces when they heard the comments. But, as far as I know, he never spoke to anyone else like that.

"If I could do it again, I would have been more assertive and insisted that he be moved and be disciplined for what he did. I think sometimes there are those who will prey on innocent people and I was an innocent person. I felt completely powerless in that situation.

If you have been the victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, contact a lawyer to discuss your legal options. There are laws in place to protect you from harassment at work.