You’re Not the Boss of Me

What do I do now? There’s a man at work. He’s one of the big ones, the top bosses, the men who run this place. My workplace. The place where I earn my daily bread.

He’s – um – how to put this?

He’s been getting more and more – what’s the best word here? He’s been getting way too friendly. Way too friendly!

Arm pats. Back pats, that sort of thing.

Too much of that. Too much touching.

And too much showing up wherever I am. As if he’s watching me, following me maybe. As if he’s keeping track of me. Too much.

It’s been getting creepy.

Him showing up wherever I am.

Him watching me.

Always getting a little too close.

If you know what I mean. He’s begun to sort of bump into me. Or brush an arm against me.

It’s sort of scary.

What do I do? I’m afraid there will be even more if I don’t do something now.

Have I got any rights here? Or can anyone – especially one of the bosses – do whatever he wants?

I talked with a good friend of mine. She doesn’t work at the same place I do. I told her he’s acting weird. I asked her what she’d do in my place.

“I’d yell long and loud,” she told me. “I’d get the bozo stopped. I’d show him who I am, report him. Get him to back off. I would nail him to a wall. Nobody should be allowed to harass anybody else. Especially at work. Especially a boss – a guy with clout. Especially a guy like this.”

That’s what she told me. She hugged me. Hard. And told me not to ever, absolutely ever, let anybody – boss or no boss – make me feel uncomfortable. Ever. Anybody.

I agreed with her. We went out for a quick snack, and she made me promise to turn the guy in. Pronto.

But here’s the thing. All of this kinda scares me. Worries me. Keeps me awake at night.

What if he’s more powerful than I realize?

What if he can get me fired? I really need this job. I really, really need this job.

What if he lies and claims I’m after him?

What if he can get me in bad trouble?

This is too big for me. I need somebody to help me, tell me how to handle this, give me advice about whatever the rules are here at this job.

Somebody told me there are clear rules about being harassed on the job. It’s all spelled out in our code of conduct, about respecting one another. About our company’s values. About not harassing anyone.  The code also says anyone can contact our compliance office for help on things like this.

So, there is something I can do, someone who can help me, our compliance officer. That’s the person who can help me learn how much is too much, what the company rules are, what options I might have.

Someone who can back me up when I feel under pressure from someone who’s got a sort of power over me.

This guy might be a boss – maybe a really big boss. He might be in charge. He might order workers around. He might be powerful.

But he’s not the boss of me, of my job, of my life. Our compliance officer is telling me that. She says our workplace has rules to protect us all from harassment, from guys with too much power, too much aggression, too much attitude.

Our compliance officer says I’ve got rights, too, and nobody can do anything that makes me feel uncomfortable or unsafe. That’s our company’s stand, and I’m all for it.

So, I have rights, and our compliance officer will stand with me, tell me the rules, what I need to know, and help me be my own person – be safe and secure on the job.

© 2024 K. Leet

What do you think?

Does your workplace have rules?

What are the rules about relationships?

What is a compliance officer’s role here?

These are stories (usually fictional, but not always), based on insights and experiences from the world of compliance & ethics.