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Bullied and sexually harassed at work 15 years ago- delayed reaction, but I'm really angry!

18 replies

CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 24/02/2020 17:02

Hi,

So yes, 15 years ago I was bullied by two women in my office and sexually harassed by several men in other departments and whereas I always knew it was wrong, I am only now starting to realise just how wrong and how big an impact it's had on my life.

I was 20, very inexperienced, a little naive and insecure. It was my first job in an office and I was genuinely excited to finally get out there and have a 'proper' job, but also quite nervous, as I seemed to be thrown in the deep end somewhat.

I didn't realise until a few weeks in that I was actually a replacement for a woman who got the sack and it didn't go down well with some of her colleagues. Two women in particular and they just so happened to be the ones who I worked with the most and who were appointed to train me up.

All smiles and welcoming at first, as in day one, but then it became clear that they just didn't like me and didn't want me there. They would constantly talk about how the sacked girl shouldn't have been sacked and how they wished she was still there and would deliberately leave me out of conversations. It carried on like that for a couple of months, just little drip feeding that I wasn't really welcome and general exclusion, but then they started making things up. Saying I hadn't done things which I knew I had, moving things out of my tray and actually making me feel like I was going mad. Very embarrassingly, I ended up in tears one day because of it. I started dreading going in. There were lots of other things, but this could get very long.

So that was upstairs in my main department, but then downstairs I would cover reception during lunch, sickness, holidays etc and looking back, what I had to endure down here was absolutely disgusting. It actually wasn't just harassment, you could argue I was sexually assaulted.

Every day, I was surrounded by at least 4 or 5 men on reception and would be asked really inappropriate questions like, did I give good massages, could I wear x skirt or top tomorrow and if I went to get a coffee from the machine, one of them used to go past me and on several occasions, would slap my bum and then chuckle with a wink, "sorry, I couldn't help it". This was the same guy who would ask if I wanted something "warm and wet" (meaning a hot drink...but not) when he walked past reception. This was also the guy you would say was a 'nice family man' Angry My nickname was "legs". I was effectively being cornered by them every day, sometimes literally, if I was photocopying something. I remember one guy who, if he spotted me doing this, would come over and get right in my face, again asking inappropriate questions. He clearly got off on knowing nobody could see and that I was powerless. I hated having them around me in a group, but it was worse in a way when they were on their own. It became much darker. The guy who would corner me said he would honestly pay me for a massage in the meeting room. He would also ask if my then bf was keeping me satisfied. All these men were senior, mostly married with kids and would have pictures of them on their desks, which I would see as I delivered their mail, as they would mark my outfit out of 10, wolf whistle and generally leer over me.

Honestly, just writing this, my heart rate is up and my palms are sweaty. I can not believe I let this go on! Yes I was only 20 and yes, I was naive, but ffs, I feel so weak! I would absolutely tell them to fuck off and report it now.

I had a bit of a lightbulb moment the other day, when I realised that I haven't been back to work since. I think I convinced myself that I was just happy to be a SAHM, but of course this horrible experience has something to do with it! How am I only just seeing this?!

I was signed off with depression and never went back. I'm sure those two women would have been happy Hmm and I very much doubt those men would give their behaviour a second thought or think that they contributed to my depression and eventually resignation.

Not sure why I'm posting really, but thanks for reading anyway. Sorry it's so long!

OP posts:
bashoono25 · 24/02/2020 17:07

Hi. I'm a stay at home mum and only just realising why I wanted to become a stay at home mum too. Story is the same - bullies at work. Similar story to yours but no sexual stuff. Was basically signed up as a phd student but told to be on call 24/7 effectively. Working and doing research work well above my pay £13k per annum.

Sometimes it does take time to realise. Have you been depressed for 20 years? I'm going back to work. I don't regret being a stay at home mum but it's not for me anymore.

You're right to be angry but don't let it stop you from going for it now! The world is your oyster and if you can look after kids you can do anything imo.

CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 24/02/2020 17:24

@bashoono25, I'm sorry you can relate. Sounds like you were completely exploited. Wishing you lots of luck with getting back into the workplace!

I've had depression for a long while yes, but I had a huge dip around that time and it clearly had a massive impact on my confidence.

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CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 24/02/2020 17:47

Also, I do wonder if it was 'the times', albeit only 15 years ago or was it the fact that I was in a unior position and so they thought they could get away with it? Well...they did! Angry

The weird thing is that I have always been a bit on the fiesty side and would always stick up for myself and others, but for some reason I just kind of went along with it and learnt techniques on how to cope.

I remember one time, one of then 'accidentally' locked me in one of the archive rooms with them and I lost it that time. I think I did my usual nervous laughter for all of 2 seconds, before shouting at him to stop messing around and unlock the door NOW. He just laughed and kept saying that he couldn't, but clearly could, so I started banging really loudly on the door and miraculously he managed to unlock it Hmm Dick.

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CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 24/02/2020 19:36

Is this normal? Am I overreacting?

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CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 24/02/2020 21:28

Maybe.

I think I was hoping for some reassurance that this wasn't just the way things were/are and that it really was unacceptable and it wasn't just me being overly sensitive.

I recently finished a course of CBT and we touched on it briefly, but I still feel a lot of resentment for all those lost years. Not just resentment for them, but for me. The problem is, I didn't really identify it as a big factor that was holding me back. It's not like I was deliberately pushing it down and pretending it didn't bother me. I thought I was getting on with life.

Couldn't be further from the truth.

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bashoono25 · 24/02/2020 22:30

You're not too sensitive.

Guineapigbridge · 25/02/2020 00:37

You are right to be angry!! It's not okay!!

The thing is, with #MeToo we are all starting to realise how common this bullshit is. I can't believe women have been putting up with this crap from gross men for so long! We were CONDITIONED to think it was alright, it was normal, that's just what happens when you're 20 and attractive. As young women MOST of us were subjected to some sort of leering, gross, disrespectful behaviour from men. Grim.

CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 25/02/2020 07:41

@Guineapigbridge, I always knew it wasn't just me and it was common, but I'm finding it so disturbing just how much.

What gets me, is the proportion of men who worked there and the number who behaved like this. So many. It's disgusting.

I was used to being leered at. I was a barmaid before working here, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't threatening. The men in the office were almost working as a pack. They saw me as something they could play with. I was nothing to them. Just meat to grade and humiliate.

I wonder how many of them had daughters?

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Deathraystare · 25/02/2020 15:02

Do you work now?

When I started working it could be a bit unpleasant in the draftsmen's area but I gave as good as I got. Normally at that age I wouldn't have said boo to a goose, but I had a low tolerance of men my Dad's age (Dad actually worked in the building) behaving like that though tbh would have had low tolerance of men any age behaving like that!

I did have words with my Dad once. One of the secretaries was know as the office 'pump' and I was very scathing of all the men (who may have had carnal knowledge of her) who treated her like tha. He was a bit thrown by my anger at that!

Frownette · 25/02/2020 15:08

Before I opened this I thought it might be an exaggeration, but that's just nasty.

You could draft a letter to management/HR outlining your experience and asking what policies they have in place now to stop sexual harassment and bullying

CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 25/02/2020 16:04

@Deathraystare, no I don't and I'm only just starting to realise that it's not just because I'm happy being a SAHM.

I would love to work again and no, there is no way in hell I would allow that to carry on now, at 35, but it's dented my confidence hugely, which I hate.

At first, I suppose I was flattered. People commenting that you're pretty etc, it's quite nice, but then it quickly went from that to really intimidating.

@Frownette, can I ask why you initially assumed it would be an exaggeration? Not being arsey, just curious.

I sometimes do think about complaining, but I wouldn't get anywhere. It was so long ago.

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Frownette · 25/02/2020 16:10

I don't know really, just that a lot of posts on MN are. No offense meant. But yes that's just horrible.

I didn't really mean a complaint, just saying what happened and how they are better at protecting their staff and training management now. I can imagine they won't be best pleased, but you never know!

MargaritaALWAYS · 25/02/2020 16:34

@Frownette, I wasn't offended. Just wondered.

I didn't think you necessarily meant put in an official complaint, but what you said reminded me that I had thought about it before. I never thought about just telling them about what happened and what policies they currently have in place.

I wonder what policies they had in place then.... Hmm

I actually googled some of them last night and a couple of them are still there and very senior. One is the Director. When I saw his face on LinkedIn, I felt so angry.

MellowBird85 · 25/02/2020 16:36

@CarrotCakeExtraFrosting I can completely empathise. I went and worked for a small accountancy firm straight from school where I’d done my work experience. The Practise Manager was beyond lecherous and ended up sexually assaulting me in the garages at the back where all the archived files were kept. He put his hand up and groped me in the most intimate area whilst I was on a stepladder. He also used to call me to his office on the intercom, sit me down at his desk and say things like “I want to help your career and I also want to make you come”. I was 17, he was in his mid to late forties. All this while pictures of his wife and kids sat on his shelves Sad

I’m also very angry that he got away with this but always felt that, because I didn’t physically push him away and categorically bark “NO” at him, that it was somehow my fault. I know now that this is ridiculous because I was a vulnerable young woman and basically felt like a rabbit in headlights when this was happening. I can’t bring myself to raise it with the company or anyone though. I’m just glad society is changing and this sort of thing is not tolerated anywhere near as much (I hope).

CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 25/02/2020 16:49

Oops, namechange fail! Blush Literally just changed it, so haven't made any other posts.

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CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 25/02/2020 17:01

@MellowBird85, I'm so sorry. How horrible.

The family pictures on the desk always made me hate them even more. How could they say the disgusting things they said, perv over young (in your case, very young) women, knowing they would be making them very uncomfortable, whilst their wife and kids are staring back at them?!

No shame. That was the problem. To them, it was an acceptable way to treat the new girl Angry

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CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 25/02/2020 17:04

Oh and following on from the guy I saw on LinkedIn, I can't tell you how much I wanted to send him an email asking if he still believes that his behaviour was in any way acceptable,

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CarrotCakeExtraFrosting · 25/02/2020 20:27

Oh and found another- looking all smug and self satisfied. I wonder how many other women/girls they've made feel like shit...

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