by C.D. Crowder

Created on: March 23, 2009   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

Work stress is extremely common. Striving to do your best, competing for promotions, and struggling to separate work and home can all add to workplace stress. However, all these are normal. The last thing any employee should have to deal with; though, is inappropriate advances from their boss.

A boss should be someone an employee can respect and learn from. The responsibility of a boss or supervisor is to guide and teach employees.

Making any kind of advances is completely inappropriate, but sadly, all too common.

~Tell Your Boss to Stop

Ask your boss to stop making advances. Don't encourage them. It can be hard to say anything negative to your boss, but you must take a stand. If you feel uncomfortable, tell them so.

For instance, if your boss makes a comment about your physical appearance that's inappropriate, tell them you feel uncomfortable with their comments and to please refrain from saying things like that around you. If the boss respects you, he or she will cease. If they continue making advances, you can at least know you asked them to quit.

~Stay In Populated Areas

Your boss may be less inclined to make advances when others are around. If you're uneasy around your boss, only deal with him or her when other employees are within hearing range. Be sure the employees are on your side. Pets of the boss may actually ignore anything they see or hear in order to gain favors.

At the very least, be sure you have several witnesses to the advances. If you need to take the boss to Human Resources, it helps to have witnesses so the situation isn't your word against the boss's.

~Document Everything

Write down every occurrence and what each party said. Your responsibility is to have all the facts straight before reporting the boss. If you misquote the boss, you may actually discredit yourself and the boss will get away with making advances. Keep a notebook on hand to carefully document every detail of each occurrence.

~Go to Human Resources

If the boss continues to make advances after you tell him or her to stop, report the boss to Human Resources. The responsibility of the HR department is to handle all reports seriously and to remain unbiased. Gather your witnesses and documentation. They will be required to help prove your case.

Ask someone from the HR department to watch the interactions between you and your boss for a week or so.
This will allow HR to see exactly what's going on. HR will take care of the situation from there on out. If the advances continue, report back to HR and the boss will more than likely be fired.

You should never feel like the advances are your fault or that you have to put up with them in order to keep your job. It's your responsibility as an employee to do your job to the best of your ability, not to be abused in any manner. Take care of the situation before it gets out of hand and you'll soon be back to thoroughly enjoying your job.

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