Recovery from sexual harassment in work

Then clearly there is a problem with your reading comprehension or your intelligence.

You may wish to seek help with that.

Absolutely no way to you having to come up with a 'cover story'. Beyond ridiculous. If someone had stolen money from you at work and had a disciplinary and been transferred as a result, how likely is that a manager would ask you (the victim) to come up with a cover story for their transfer? Would never happen but because it is sexual harassment (and consequently even more upsetting for you) and you are a woman then it is partly your responsibility to cover it up? No. Fucking. Way.

Your own manager needs to be fighting for you. You may have to be clear with them about that.

If this other manager asks you again verbally then say "Let me think about it and I'll email you about it". Then email him (copying your own manager) stating "On xxx date, you asked me to come up with a cover story for the man who sexually harassed me at work. Initially I thought that I must have misunderstood. Can you confirm what exactly you want me to do?"

And then if he is a total fool he will email you with ideas of the cover story, thus incriminating himself if you want to go down the grievance/constructive dismissal route. If he has any sense he won't mention it again.

Make your own manager aware that this other manager has asked you to cover up for this harasser.

If anybody else in the company asks anything about the harasser just say that HR have been managing the incident and they can ask HR for details. People will draw their own conclusions.

Are you in a union? Might be worth having an informal chat with a rep if so.

Don't blame you at all for feeling like you want to leave. Your company have exposed you to this harasser, made you work with him after the incident, and asked you to collude in covering it up. They have failed you.

My advice moving forward is to get everything in writing. If you have a verbal conversation with someone then immediately send an email recapping what was said, copying your own manager and others if need be.

I am very sorry that this is happening to you. It is not your fault.

Even if you end up leaving, you still did the right thing & I reckon you'll have less of a problem with this kind of crap in the future because the confidence of your "take no shit" stance will go with you. I know I've changed after taking on a bullying arse of a manager in a previous role.

Yes. It just looks like, if they're giving him a fresh start, they probably want everyone to forget about it. It's not like they're making a show of trying to get him out, and as you say - you're not getting a fresh start. They're looking out for themselves, not you.

Hmm. Take care that they can't stick any harassment on you, when you make sure people are aware of why he's moved.

They want to hide what he has done? I think that's... I don't know, is "systemic sexism" appropriate? How are they acting in the best interests of every woman in the company to just move him with a cover story?

I am glad for you, very very glad that he's being moved. I feared they were going to see if they could let it drag on long enough that you would drop it from the exhaustion of having to push for every thing, so it's a victory that the move is looking likely and secure.

But still, a cover story? Even if they want to give him one, in what way is it your responsibility to either help them create it or to collude with it- they haven't made you sign any confidentiality things have they?

Well, if Douchehead will be working with any women in his new role, I think I would probably let a rumour circulate that the reshuffle is very definitely to do with sexual harassment and he'll probably be out if there's another report against him.

Though if it's like our place, it's probably quite easy to reshuffle people to a department which has only men.

Grrr! And if any of these previous victims had just piped up when it was "their turn", he'd be gone by now. Grrr.

Daily and Buffy, you guys rock! I have no practical advice, and you really don't want me to hijack the fred with my own story.

And well done with the telling of the women. If more of us did that, there would be fewer problems.

It might be in the company's best interests to put him on garden leave while they look to transfer him. If things don't move quickly from today, then you could suggest that.

He may very well use that time to get another job outside the company. If I had a written warning for sexual harassment then I would want to get out before I was chucked out.

And of course the company would be better off without him.