How can I report my old employer?

[jc0481]

I worked for a company a while ago. Everything was fine. Got yelled at for mistakes but who hasn't. The kicker came in when they hired another employee to help with my errands. This guy was saying crude not very professional comments left and right. Every day. He was saying sexual comments regarding my wife. I told him to stop but nothing. I went to my supervisor he did not know anything about it. He then tells me he will talk about it with him. But then the next day he does a 180 and says your an adult your not a kid you figure it out. If you don't like it there's the door. It's a small company at my old job about 9 to 10 people. It's run like a franchise but not a complete franchise they have a another office in another state. That office employs almost a thousand. Hard to explain. I have left a message with one of their hr people regarding the situation. She has not called me back even though I left my number. My old employer just called my number but I did not answer. Waste of my time if I talk to him. I'm not sure what do to now. Should I just let it go or what? The funny thing is my old employer has a harassment policy I know every job does. Hope you guys can help.
Thank you

 

[Jon'sLightBulbs]

Do you live in the U.S.?

 

[Demoman]

I worked for a company a while ago. Everything was fine. Got yelled at for mistakes but who hasn't. The kicker came in when they hired another employee to help with my errands. This guy was saying crude not very professional comments left and right. Every day. He was saying sexual comments regarding my wife. I told him to stop but nothing. I went to my supervisor he did not know anything about it. He then tells me he will talk about it with him. But then the next day he does a 180 and says your an adult your not a kid you figure it out. If you don't like it there's the door. It's a small company at my old job about 9 to 10 people. It's run like a franchise but not a complete franchise they have a another office in another state. That office employs almost a thousand. Hard to explain. I have left a message with one of their hr people regarding the situation. She has not called me back even though I left my number. My old employer just called my number but I did not answer. Waste of my time if I talk to him. I'm not sure what do to now. Should I just let it go or what? The funny thing is my old employer has a harassment policy I know every job does. Hope you guys can help.
Thank you

There are Federal laws against all forms of harrassment, and states have their own. I do not like the lawsuit happy nation we have become, but that does not seem like what your intent is. Still, if this type of behavior is present there, someone else might have legitimate grievances in the future. So, I would contact the state department that handles complaints and get it on the official record. It may help another victim in the future.

 

[Counterfit]

He was saying sexual comments regarding my wife.

Okay, that doesn't really help. This should though.

 

[beatsme]

if you don't work there anymore, then why bother? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through, especially when it's unlikely anything will happen...

 

[Keebler]

well, it's certainly not a good sign when you're told 'if you don't like it, there's the door'. i assume you left? if so, did you leave for another job or are you unemployed?

if you do have a job, then i'd leave it. if you don't and you left b/c of the harassment, i would be suing or threatening for something. unfortunately, if you did leave on your own, it might hurt things. then again, i'm not a legal expert or anything.

i would have told the harasser to wise up and if he kept doing it, i probably would have decked him...thus getting me fired

 

[grapes911]

if you don't work there anymore, then why bother? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through, especially when it's unlikely anything will happen...

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

 

[jc0481]

Yes I do live in the US. And no that day my employer told me there is the door. I did leave and it felt great. The reason I want to complain even though I don't work there anymore is for employers to wise up and treat their employees with respect. I believe semi or fully happy employees will treat your customers better and make you more money. Hopefully they can wise up and treat future employees complaints better they did with me. I really don't want to sue that is not my intention. I just want to make a formal complaint that is all. I wish the woman I contacted at the main office would leave me a message or something.

 

[EricNau]

Do you have any lawyer friends that would do you a small favor?

One formal call from a lawyer and they tend to straighten out pretty fast.

 

[Sun Baked]

if you don't work there anymore, then why bother? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through, especially when it's unlikely anything will happen...

If you sue, the other company can follow you for the rest of your life and make your life hell.

The life of a whistleblower can be hell, as you get fired from job after job when they let your new employer know all about the sue happy little employee they just hired.

Unless it is a big company with a nice class action to hid behind and avoid the future impact.

Leaving could be the best thing, since there are other companies out there.

 

[mkrishnan]

Do you have any lawyer friends that would do you a small favor?

A much better option than a friend named Vinnie with a rapsheet!

Depending on what you mean by the "sexual comments regarding [your] wife," it might fit under the rubric of harassment. It certainly sounds unpleasant. I'm sorry you have to go through it. Good luck!

 

[beatsme]

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

I see your point, but I think you're really reaching...

listen, if you're dealing with @ssholes in management, the only thing you can do is go up the chain of command. If you've done that and nothing's happened, then that's the end of it.

and I know whereof I speak. I had a problem with my boss at my last job, so I went up the chain of command. A few lessons in ratting out the boss:

1) you can play that card once, and only once, otherwise you're labelled a troublemaker. You'd better make d@mn sure you want to make your stand on this particular issue.

2) the person you finked on will do everything in their power to get even; this will include reporting your every transgression, real or imagined. So what kind of trouble do you want? Putting up with the loudmouth, or living with a boss who's waiting for you to do something he can use against you.

3) #1 assumes upper management even believes you. You can bet any accusation you make will be denied by the transgressor, so it will come down to your word against theirs. Unless you have a witness willing to speak up on your behalf (and you likely won't get one, since nobody who values their paycheck wants to get involved in a dispute with management), the burden of proof is on you. Without concrete evidence (like audio or video tape) to support your claim, you're sunk.

and yes, I had a witness

and yes, the person I finked on spent the next 6 years hitting me below the waterline

and yes, whenever I had a problem with anything thereafter, there wasn't a thing I could do but cope. It wasn't worth it...

of course, none of this applies if you've left. And you've already done the most harm you could do i.e. depriving them of your services. They're @ssholes, and you're better off where you are now. Chalk it up to experience and move on.

 

[grapes911]

I see your point, but I think you're really reaching...

I don't thing I'm 'reaching' at all. I'm not saying you blow the whistle on every little thing. But if an employer is truly breaking the law or overreaching their bounds, then I believe that you have a duty to report them.

 

[beatsme]

I don't thing I'm 'reaching' at all. I'm not saying you blow the whistle on every little thing. But if an employer is truly breaking the law or overreaching their bounds, then I believe that you have a duty to report them.

I hardly think "evil" is an appropriate term in this case. And as above, I see your point...