by Lorenza

Created on: March 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

It is the 21st century, people use the most advanced technologies in their daily lives and at their jobs. They are well-informed, well-versed in what their rights are as citizens, and society has advanced right along with them. People are better educated, more tolerant, more honorable, much safer...and how much of this is actually true?

One of the areas where society has not kept up with the times is in the workplace. Bosses will be bosses, you will have good ones and bad ones, managers who look at the big picture and micro-managers who make the workplace a tedious and hellish environment. But one type of manager exists that is the worst of all - the predatory manager who believes he or she has complete control over his or her employees, and more often than we like to admit, gets away with sexual or other forms of harassment on a daily basis.

An inappropriate advance from your boss can be so subtle that you think you imagined it, or so brazen that you feel completely violated. Chances are it will not happen in front of other employees, and you will more than likely be hesitant to go back to your boss and ask if what you think just happened really happened. Predatory managers tend to seek out the most timid of employees to bully or harrass, and probably already know you avoid confrontation, or that you haven't said anything about certain off-color jokes or remarks that have been thrown out in your presence. But once it happens to you, what do you do?

There are laws that address sexual harassment in the workplace, and most companies have policies addressing how to proceed when there has been such harassment of an employee. Government agencies have the most stringent policies, and also the strictest confidentiality to protect the employee from retaliatory action. Unfortunately, private companies have the least protective environment for employees, and if your harasser is also the company owner, you are definitely going to have to gather an awful lot of evidence and take it to a government labor office to prove your claim.

If you work for a government agency or entity, immediately take your concerns to the Human Resources Department and explain to the director what has occurred. The director will likely have some forms for you to complete, describing the incident or incidents and when they occurred. An investigation will ensue, and a determination will be made regarding any disciplinary action against the perpetrator. In a private company with a Human Resources Department, a similar process will also be followed.

However, if you are harassed by the owner of the company, and there is no one to complain to except the government labor office, the first step might be to speak privately to your boss about the situation before going to the extreme. If speaking to the boss doesn't stop the harassment, you have a clear choice. Document each exchange, keep a detailed and dated record, make copies of all of it, and take it to a higher level. Otherwise, your only other choice may be to look for employment elsewhere.

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