How I wish this was fictional…
UPDATE 3: Oh, noes, le post, she is gone!
Hey hey,
There was a post here about me being pretty unhappy with the actions of somebody in my office, hence all the comments below regarding whether or not to make a formal complaint.
I did make the complaint in the end and while I’m confident it was the right thing, if not the safe thing, to do, I feel that the outcome was positive enough that I have removed the original post.
I was angry when it first went up and with the issue resolved it seems appropriate to ‘bury the hatchet’ for now. I’ve kept a copy of the original post and would be happy to discuss my experience with anyone who is faced with a similar decision. You can contact me as Warlach on Twitter or at Warlach@gmail.com.
That said, I’ve kept the picture of the boss from Office Space because it is awesome.
Hmmm… yeah… mmm okay.
“Not right now, Lumbergh, I’m kinda busy. In fact, look, I’m gonna have to ask you to just go ahead and come back another time. I got a meeting with the Bobs in a couple of minutes. ”
- Keith
(@kdelarue)
let it go, i say. it’ll make you feel better, but it’ll just make your work life harder. hypocrisy is part of life, don’t start any grudges on top of it.
I think you should complain, if it offended you that much. It might not do much to get him in trouble, but it’ll open up their eyes.
despite agreeing with you, personally i wouldn’t make a formal complaint. In my opinion, HR departments are f^&king useless and all it will achieve is even deeper rifts / resentments within your office.
I would make a formal complaint but I’m sure you are aware that if you do make a formal complaint, you may be victimised. (I have read into your tweets that you are fed up with work anyway so perhaps you don’t care, if so, just go for it!). I stayed silent on disgusting behaviour and language like this in work places when I was younger, and I regret it. I think by staying silent I gave this kind of behaviour and language more power and people like this REALLY need to know it is never appropriate and be disciplined for it.
I wouldn’t personally. There are people who are just dickheads and unfortunately making official complaints generally just back-fires on the complainer. Particularly if the dickhead in question is held in high-regard by damanagement.
It sucks, but its the way it is.
Yes, make a complaint. Based on what you say, they are in clear breach of sexual harassment law.
However, you may wish to line up another job if possible. Being in the right doesn’t mean there won’t be retaliation subtle enough to not be complainable.
Considering that they’re planning ‘restructure’ and it’s the consultant who’s having this kind of conversation? Yes. Make a complaint. Normally, I’d be on the boat of ‘oh hey now, don’t rock this’ but they can’t honestly expect to get away with that kind of conversation in an office environment. The ‘lesbians in sport’ would have been enough for me, actually.
And there’s also the whole thing where he read the ‘confidential’ complaints…
I think you should make a former complaint. Reason: Obviously you think it’s inappropriate, and you probably have coworkers who feel the same way. But if no one says anything, the culture continues. If you say something, the ruling as to whether it’s “appropriate” sits with the right people - HR.
I think it is worth having a minimal, off the record statement saying you would rather not have to hear sexual descriptions in the workplace, as you understand there’s probably legislation on this point.
Sometimes it is worth starting on a point that you would like your workplace to be comfortable before bringing in a formal complaint. Find a clever way to steer behaviour into a positive result for yourself before getting TOO serious.
The consultant might be more of a threat than the boss since he “bonds” better, even if inappropriately.
IMHO….
You know where I stand on this Lachlan. Document this behavior in a diary and then if things get really bad you take it further up the food chain.
Make the complaint. You shouldn’t be made to feel bad for something that’s offensive.
Again if you were female there would be no question about whether or not to make a complaint.
Probably have to let it go if you want to keep working for moronic fuckwits, which sadly many people have to just to pay the mortgage and I chose not to decades ago. Mind you I’m definitely poorer than you but possibly happier. At least as others say, keep a record (which you are here anyway) so if you finally want to hit them you’ll have a shitload of leverage and justification.
You really should have an off the record conversation with the Hr dept, don’t mention names just discuss the nature of the complaint.
@Shaun,
Actually I am a female and I wouldn’t complain. In my (admittedly limited) experience it doesn’t matter what gender you are, if you’re male and you complain you’re a wuss, if you’re a female and you complain, you’re a humorless feminist.
There’s no winning,
FWIW Joe’s advice strikes me as the best response, couch the complaint as a “gentle reminder about the need to be sensitive in a work environment”
So I couldn’t be bothered reading all the other responses. But some people did say, if you lodge a formal complaint, prepare to be victimised, or to loose your job. They might not fire you over this, they might just harrass you until you leave. Or they might find that clause in your contract that says you can’t check personal email at work.
But I agree the bosses sound like tools. … It’s important to stand up for what you believe in, by lodging a complaint - possibly using a union mediator or whatever - but also be aware that sometimes standing up for what you believe is right comes at a cost. Can you (literally) afford to loose your job?
Hm!
Good luck!
If I was going to take the complaint route, I’d stop twittering and blogging about it. It’s not going to make you look like someone who has the company’s best interests at heart.
I had to go and look up the definition of Donkey Punch…
I’m not sure about a formal complaint or not - but certainly taking it up with the consultant and boss is an important first step.
Personally, I’d leave the formal complain in abeyance until after I’d spoken to them and determined whether they were going to amend their behaviour or not. If they didn’t, then I’d take the formal approach.