Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, I’m on mobile currently.
I’d like to first start of by saying this subreddit is absolutely needed. It’s what pushed me to file against HR about what happened.
For background, I was at a staff conference (nonprofit). My department was told we were going to take a group picture, and I was in it. We were told to move into the center by pushing ourselves against other people, but many other employees and I agreed that we didn’t feel safe doing so since we were already pushed in a lot.
Then, the board chair came up and told me to move in more. I told him we were already not comfortable doing so and we’re literally squashed for a photo. He refused to believe so and started to put his meaty disgusting hand on my lower back, starting to touch my ass and pushing me towards the center. I swatted his hand and told him I wasn’t comfortable with that, but he ignored me and tried to again. I swatted his arm, this time much harder and telling him to stop doing that.
He just kept trying, each time getting closer and closer to my behind. I kept hitting his arm and then he suddenly put his hands of my shoulders and pushed me really hard into a chair and patted me on the back, since the photographer changed his mind on what pic to take.
I started hyperventilating and left to the bathroom, dry heaving and crying. I’ve been sexually abused since I was little, and that stupid director triggered me to high hell. I’ve been living with PTSD for several years now. After crying and talking to my partner on the phone for a couple of minutes, I went to my supervisor and boss and told them what happened. My boss told me he was probably doing it innocently, and that’s when I just broke down.
My partner soon picked me up and said I was shaking like a leaf, rocking myself back and forth while muttering to myself and crying. After taking to the hr department (I’m a temp worker) all that HR did was say he wasn’t an employee and told him what happened. No apology, not even hearing from them directly ( the temp agency had to talk to the nonprofit’s HR since they refused to talk to me)
I told them if something doesn’t happen, that I would be filing a police report and be reporting this to my state civil rights commission. The sad thing is, it isn’t the first time I got sexually harassed or assaulted in a professional workplace before. Ever single time nothing has happened. This executive apparently owns several big companies in my state and even runs elbows with my states officials.
I’m done being quiet.