Defending My Dignity: Confronting Workplace Harassment Head-On

I ended up with approximately 16 letters, each from different colleagues, detailing Jill’s inappropriate behavior. One of the letters came from a colleague who was present during the lunchroom confrontation with Jill. Some of the letters even included bulleted lists of Jill’s derogatory remarks about me and others’ appearances, including comments about weight and antisemitic remarks. Though 16 letters didn’t represent a majority of the office’s 45 employees, it was still a significant number. Despite their brevity, the letters contained all the necessary information.

At 10 am, I headed to HR with the letters from my coworkers, a photocopy of the relevant section of my contract, and my notes on dates and times, all neatly organized in a folder.

Upon arriving, I found Debbie overseeing the interview. As she rose from her desk to lead me into another room, I turned to the other HR worker present and asked, “So is my meeting with you, then?”

I expressed my concern, stating that according to my contract, I had the right to an impartial overseer. I retrieved the relevant page from my folder and showed it to Debbie, insisting that I had it on good authority that the individual on the other end of this complaint was her friend. Despite Debbie’s assertion that she could remain impartial, I reiterated my right to impartiality as per my contract.