I work for a large company, about 300 employes just inside the divison. Workplace harrasment has always been a huge problem there especialy sexual. Most of the time when a female complains they tell her "if you dont like the atmosphere go home". Me and my wife work in the cooler department so its kind of secluded from the rest of the place which makes the problem much worse ( hardly any supervision). My wife was being harrased by one person on a regular basis, when he wouldnt stop she went to the supervisor, which made the problem worse. He and someone else ganged up on her, yelling that " people need to keep there mouth shut and stop ratting people out" ect. ect. So we went higher up about it and he was " found guilty" which means he was writen up, so as long as he isnt found guilty of harrasment again in the next six months he has nothing to worry about. That still didnt stop it he started to threaten me, tried to intimidate me at work and so on. They said there isnt much we can do about it you just have to deal with it. They said because there were three people involed they couldnt fire anyone so they kicked her out of the department so there wouldnt be any problems.So after all this things didnt change, there were six people standing by the desk talking, when this girl walks by and one of the guys grabs ahold of her and starts squeezing her chest, she finally pulled away and left, she was oviously upset. I was completely offended by this ( this was not the first time they did this to her). She said she was upset but couldnt say anything because she didnt want what happened to us to happen to her. So I said something myself, gave a list of witnesses, I belive it was even cought on tape. The guy was suspended for a day and a half and comes back to work today. They did hold a meeting with everyone and literaly screamed at everyone that they have a zero tolerence level for this stuff and it would not be put up with. But yet two people in a week were found guilty and got away with it. My meeting with them was supposed to be confidential, yet they the fact that I was the one who said something " leaked" out to the rest of the employes now I get harrassed about that! This is not the only time my wife has been sexualy harrased, even by management and they basicly said they dont want to hear it. The problem is the employes are buddies with the supervisor outside of work and thats why they get away with it. If it were me at fault I would have been out the door along time ago. But they get special treatment in every aspect of there job. I know this is ilegal and retaliation because I complained about it is ilegal. But I dont know what I can do, I cant effored to quit my job at this point, I would imagine I have a pretty good case if I were to file a lawsuite. Sorry about the length of this post, but I need some help. What would I need for proof to be able to sue?

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02-18-2005, 07:30 PM

Retaliation is just as, and even more as, serious as the harassment itself. You can read more about sexual harassment at: www.eeoc.gov (http://www.eeoc.gov). That website also tells you how to file a complaint. Some states have their own discrimination laws so you may want to look into those.

Thought I would keep everyone updates on this. Things have kind of mellowed out a bit, alot of comments though still about being a "rat". A friend of mine that works there told me they are talking about jumping me and my wife, because of what happened. Can my employer be held responsible for this if it happens outside of work because it is a work related issue? Everything was supposed to be confidential, no one should have known I said anything. This would not be the first time someone was beat up because of something that happened at work, or the first, or third, or seven or eighth!

First of all, you need to talk with your employer and to the police. This is a very serious criminal matter. Second, your employer must do what it can to prevent retaliation. If I was in management at your company, I would do things such as immediately conduct training among the staff about discrimination and the illegality of retaliation. I would also discuss the situation with a security expert who could advise us as to how to best protect you. I would also talk with an attorney in order to receive legal advice as to the best way to protect both you and your company. I would also implement additional security measures, such as ensuring those entering the workplace are free from weapons, that only employees are permitted to come into work and that the parking lot is regularly patrolled. In a previous job, I had a situation where we heard that there was a potential for an incidence of workplace violence. We hired off-duty police officers to patrol the front lobby and parking lot. The reason why? Because off-duty police are permitted to utilize weapons if need be...even if they are not on-duty.

If your employer does as much as it can to protect you with actions such as above and you and your wife are still attacked, their liability will be greatly minimized. Though, of course, that will not be consolation for anyone. Get help, please.

I told them about the threats they said I kind of just have to deal with it, brush it off theres not much they can do. In fact I was punched in the face a few years back and they just kind of laughed and said "you should have hit him back". They even have a tradition on your birthday where they hold you down and punch your legs until they are bruised , the last person was a 50 year old lady! All of management knows but nothing is ever done.

These are classic examples of harassment and discrimination. You should file a complaint. Also, do you two really need to work there? It sounds like a horrid place.

This is only the "tip of the iceberg" compared to what really goes on there. We both are finding new jobs, they pay good though. They are the largest food distribution center in the world. Owned by Warren Buffet. By the way I'm contacting a lawer today.