I started a new job last week. My first in 10 years. As I walked around the department on various tasks I was smiling at everyone, as the new person trying to be friendly. I walked past this cleaner a couple of times and smiled and he smiled back.
Later in the afternoon he came into a small side room I was in by myself. Asked if I was new, held out his hand and introduced himself. As I went to shake his hand he folded his middle finger in towards my palm and as we shook hands sort of stroked my palm with it. I went to pull my hand away as you do after a brief handshake (also icked out by the creepy finger thing) but he held on quite tightly. I had to put some force into removing my hand and had to sort of slither it out of his grasp rather than him letting go of it.
All this happened while I carried on the usual pleasantries. The conversation finished and he left the room. I’m pretty sure in my younger days with less confidence to assert myself I would have let him hold on to my hand much longer than I did, but I’m still annoyed with myself that I didn’t mention it to someone afterwards.
I feel like I should tell someone still. For context I work in a hospital so there is potential for him to have access to vulnerable women. I don’t expect any action to be taken from this one weird handshake, but I feel like I want it noted, or some acknowledgement that they have their eye on him, or something?
Again, this is my first time in a working environment in a decade, and I have no idea how to approach things.