Hey Everyone,
Harassment in the workplace is always a big topic, but the only things I read about are when it has to do between workers, whether it be management or lower level employees.
What happens if it's the customers who are harassing you? What rights and legal options do you have, if any?
As most know, I've worked in retail and customer service all my life, and I've never once heard about an employee's right to defend themselves against harassment from a customer. Does recognition of such abuses even exist, let alone have its own support network?
Over the years, I've dealt with and have seen my co-workers deal with some things that are unimaginable, and yet they happen on a regular basis. From racial insults to outward sexual propositions, we're just expected to take it. It doesn't matter who or what gets sacrificed, as long as you keep getting the customer to return and hopefully spend money.
What angers me most is when vulnerable young women are preyed upon. Now, this could happen to any age and any gender, but if you are unaware that this happens, I hope this information will help people protect themselves
In my work settings (and this has been all over the country), there have been several cases in which an older male customer comes in and claims to be in a certain prestigious profession (doctor, dentist, lawyer) or own a business, and will tell one of our young female employees that he is "looking for a secretary" or to hire someone for his office. Of course, he offers everything someone wants to hear: great pay, banker's hours, and insurance. He will then ask for the young woman's number, calling or texting her to "meet him for an interview." You can imagine what kind of danger she may be placing herself into if she goes.
And even if she does not, what often follows are a series of inappropriate calls, questions, and propositions. Often times, money will be offered for sexual favors. The most common targets are the youngest female workers and young single mothers--women who are seen as naive and easy targets for the supposed money. One young girl I knew (she was only 18 years old) had a man in his 60's offer her $1000 in exchange for her "company" (seeing as this is a family forum, that's all I'll say), and it shocked her to the point of having anxiety attacks.
Although the women I've known who have fallen into this trap were not harmed, they HAVE dealt with a level of harassment that I can't even imagine. I don't know of any of them who eventually went to the police (which is what I personally would do), and none, that I know of, received any help or acknowledgment of their situation from their employer.
In any case I knew about, even when informed, management never even acknowledged it, judging it as a personal matter and outside their jurisdiction. In some cases, the women were laughed at, and nothing was ever done, nor was the customer ever reprimanded. (I realize it boils down to "he said, she said", but I know if I were the one being harassed, I would document EVERYTHING, saving every call and text, just so that I had clear proof.)
I know many of you out there work in customer service regularly.
Do you see, or worst of all, put up with these abuses yourself, and how do you deal with them?
(I realize this is a sensitive issue and that people might not want to come forward with a personal story. Perhaps, if it would help, maybe it can be told as something that happened to "someone you know".)
I myself am wondering how many others out there see and have to put up with this.
I become especially enraged for my younger co-workers and I wish there was a way to protect them.
Harassment in the workplace is always a big topic, but the only things I read about are when it has to do between workers, whether it be management or lower level employees.
What happens if it's the customers who are harassing you? What rights and legal options do you have, if any?
As most know, I've worked in retail and customer service all my life, and I've never once heard about an employee's right to defend themselves against harassment from a customer. Does recognition of such abuses even exist, let alone have its own support network?
Over the years, I've dealt with and have seen my co-workers deal with some things that are unimaginable, and yet they happen on a regular basis. From racial insults to outward sexual propositions, we're just expected to take it. It doesn't matter who or what gets sacrificed, as long as you keep getting the customer to return and hopefully spend money.
What angers me most is when vulnerable young women are preyed upon. Now, this could happen to any age and any gender, but if you are unaware that this happens, I hope this information will help people protect themselves
In my work settings (and this has been all over the country), there have been several cases in which an older male customer comes in and claims to be in a certain prestigious profession (doctor, dentist, lawyer) or own a business, and will tell one of our young female employees that he is "looking for a secretary" or to hire someone for his office. Of course, he offers everything someone wants to hear: great pay, banker's hours, and insurance. He will then ask for the young woman's number, calling or texting her to "meet him for an interview." You can imagine what kind of danger she may be placing herself into if she goes.
And even if she does not, what often follows are a series of inappropriate calls, questions, and propositions. Often times, money will be offered for sexual favors. The most common targets are the youngest female workers and young single mothers--women who are seen as naive and easy targets for the supposed money. One young girl I knew (she was only 18 years old) had a man in his 60's offer her $1000 in exchange for her "company" (seeing as this is a family forum, that's all I'll say), and it shocked her to the point of having anxiety attacks.
Although the women I've known who have fallen into this trap were not harmed, they HAVE dealt with a level of harassment that I can't even imagine. I don't know of any of them who eventually went to the police (which is what I personally would do), and none, that I know of, received any help or acknowledgment of their situation from their employer.
In any case I knew about, even when informed, management never even acknowledged it, judging it as a personal matter and outside their jurisdiction. In some cases, the women were laughed at, and nothing was ever done, nor was the customer ever reprimanded. (I realize it boils down to "he said, she said", but I know if I were the one being harassed, I would document EVERYTHING, saving every call and text, just so that I had clear proof.)
I know many of you out there work in customer service regularly.
Do you see, or worst of all, put up with these abuses yourself, and how do you deal with them?
(I realize this is a sensitive issue and that people might not want to come forward with a personal story. Perhaps, if it would help, maybe it can be told as something that happened to "someone you know".)
I myself am wondering how many others out there see and have to put up with this.
I become especially enraged for my younger co-workers and I wish there was a way to protect them.
