Woman Finally Takes Revenge Against Creepy Male Coworkers After HR Does Nothing

Life is never easy for women working in male-dominated fields. From being treated as inferior to listening to jabs about their gender, every day can be challenging. But the worst part is facing harassment constantly and never being taken seriously when they speak up for themselves.

One woman shared online how she went through something similar as a colleague stalked her and also spread lies about her in the workplace. Much to her frustration, her complaints had no effect whatsoever. After realizing that she wasn’t the only victim, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Scroll down to read how she got back at them!

Toxic organizations sweep workplace harassment under the rug

Roberto Hund/Pexels (not the actual photo)

When this woman’s company ignored her complaints, she took her own revenge on the colleagues who harassed her

Hasan Gulec/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo)

The poster added that she started documenting everything and tried to dissipate the religious debate among the commentators

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Workplace harassment against women is still widespread

Thirdman/Pexels (not the actual photo)

The war for women’s equality is probably the oldest one in history. Despite years of struggle, we still face discrimination and inappropriate behavior just because of our gender. In fact, workplace harassment is so widespread that 40% of women claim they have experienced it. 

Research also points out that 1 in 7 women have sought a new job assignment, changed jobs, or quit a job because of harassment and maltreatment. 60% of women say they have experienced unwanted attention, coercion, crude conduct, or inappropriate comments in the workplace.

Shockingly, in some industries, more than 9 in 10 women say they have been harassed. But over 85% of people who experience harassment never file a formal legal charge, and approximately 70% of employees never even complain internally.

Unfortunately, sometimes they are forced to work with the harasser. When experts surveyed why women hesitate to file complaints, they zeroed in on four problems. They explained, “First, women distrust grievance procedures and rarely file complaints. Second, formal complaints rarely lead to the harasser’s transfer or removal. Third, women who do file complaints face retaliation—66% of them.”

“Finally, the adversarial grievance process itself can harm victims. Studies comparing women who file complaints to women who keep quiet show worse career, mental health, and health outcomes for those who file,” they added.

Obviously, facing such cruelty every day will take a toll on their overall well-being. Psychologists emphasize that workplace harassment creates a hostile environment. This can cause a range of psychological and emotional responses, including high levels of stress and anxiety that may trigger headaches, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. 

It also sparks depression and, in some cases, PTSD when the victim struggles with intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and avoidance behaviors. Moreover, some might experience decreased self-esteem and reduced productivity as it becomes difficult to concentrate and complete tasks. 

Employers can be liable for harassment if they fail to take prompt action

Sora Shimazaki/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Organizations need to step in when employees create such hostile environments. They need to take their “zero tolerance harassment policies” more seriously. After all, it’s not just for show. Employers should enforce them when such severe misconduct happens right under their noses.

Besides, the EEOC notes that it’s unlawful to harass a person because of their gender. Also, harassment becomes illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment.

The US Department of Labor states, “Your employer will be liable for harassment if it knew, or should have known, about the harassment and failed to take prompt and appropriate corrective action. You have the right to file a complaint or a Charge of Discrimination, participate in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit, engage in any protected equal employment opportunity (EEO) activity, or oppose harassment or discrimination without being retaliated against by your employer.”

Sadly, as we saw in the author’s case, not all companies take responsibility for providing a workplace free of unlawful harassment. That’s why she felt forced to plot her own revenge to make sure the harassers at least faced some consequences. But not everyone has that option. As I mentioned previously, some women are forced to quit, or they just suffer in silence.

Netizens advised the poster to start documenting everything and threaten legal action against the company if more issues arise. What would you do in such a situation? Feel free to share your thoughts with us. Also, here’s another workplace revenge story that you might enjoy!

She provided some more information in the comments

Netizens reacted and also shared insightful advice for the narrator 

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