I wanted to follow up from a thread I posted a long time ago. If you want to read the full story, you can find it here: https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/employment_issues/3091509-sexually-assaulted-at-work-what-to-do
Yesterday was my last day at work. I applied for an internal transfer and next week I will move to a different country to work at another office in the same company. During my exit interview, I reported the colleague who harassed and assaulted me a few months ago.
Last December I confronted him, and he was very apologetic and seemed sincerely sorry about what he did to me. He said he thought we were joking and that he did not realize he was making me uncomfortable. Then he stopped all inappropriate comments and activities with me, so I thought the problem had been addressed and solved, and that I could let it go and move on.
However, I recently realized he is "grooming" another young female colleague in the same way he did with me. He has been asking her inappropriate sexual questions during work hours (stuff like "When was the last time you sucked a ...?"), asked for her personal phone number and then texted her "you are so hot" and similar stuff. So not quite at the level of harassment that he reached with me yet, but no doubt he is heading there again with this poor woman (who is of course uncomfortable and confused on what to do). I know this stuff because I am close to this female colleague and she has been confiding with me.
So yesterday I reported him to HR durig my exit interview. I told them everything that happened, including what I thought was my "responsibility" at the beginning, which was not being firm enough and getting along with his "jokes" for fear of burning an important professional bridge.
Apparently HR talked to the CEO immediately, who took the situation very seriously and will give this man a formal warning next week. If he is caught doing this again, he will be fired.
I am partially relieved, partially terrified. I know it was the right thing to do. I could not just sit back and watch him harass another woman, the way he did with me.