Harrowing Stories About Harassment at the Workplace

Harassment, be it sexual or otherwise, is not a matter to be taken lightly. With the recent #MeToo and #TimeIsUp movements, women (and men) have taken it upon themselves to expose the predators and teach them a lesson about suffering the consequences of what they do.

There is no more staying quiet about the horrors that women face in the workplace, no more feeling ashamed and hiding behind traditions that encourage women to stay silent. And because we know that men get harassed too, here are harrowing stories that I have been told from both sides, all centered around this dark subject at the workplace.

1. “It’s the worst feeling in the world to get sexually harassed by your manager at work and not know what to do about it. I am afraid of losing my job and my position that I worked so hard for but the situation started escalating and I don’t know how to fix it. In the beginning, he’d touch my shoulders or my hair and I only thought that it was a friendly gesture but then it started getting more and more sexual. He would sometimes hold me from my waist, my face and other places; it became very uncomfortable. Every time I try to shake him off, he never stops. I was shocked when I found out that he was married and had children not very far from my age! He once told me that he likes touching me because the clothes I wear make me ‘very hard to resist.’ Till this day I don’t know what to do about it but I try to play it cool and pretend it doesn’t happen.” –Maha

2. “I work as a personal assistant in a reputable multinational company, which basically means that taking care of everything from flight appointments to hotel reservations is part of my 9 to 5, I didn’t think it for my boss to ask me to reserve a trip to Greece for two. At first, I thought he was taking his wife with him but it turned out that he wanted me to travel with him for a three-day vacation. No, thank you!” –Nehal

3. “In the beginning of my career, I used to work as a translator; it was a time I will definitely remember forever. One of my coworkers would constantly stare at my private parts even though he knew that I could see him. At times, he would stand too close while I was working and put his hands on my shoulders for no reason at all. I, of course, realized that he was gay but I wasn’t interested in men. I was the only one he’d send weird and sexual messages to. It was definitely not one of my best experiences.” –Kareem

4. “Before working with my current employer, I was a housemaid working for a local family but I had to leave because I couldn’t stay quiet anymore about what was happening. The husband used to verbally harass me and made sexual comments about my body; at first, I disregarded what was happening because I thought as long as it doesn’t escalate further than this then I’m okay. But unfortunately, it did, and I can’t help but feel like it was my fault. He started ‘accidentally’ bumping into me when I was in the kitchen or in the washing room, then he started grabbing me and taking advantage of me when his wife wasn’t at home. Each time I tried to scream or shout he would put his hand on my mouth to keep me quiet. When the wife figured the story out, she turned the table on me. She blamed me for everything, saying that I was the one approaching him.” –Khadija

5. “Being a female Editor-in-Chief, I don’t know why one of the writers would think it’s okay to send kissy face emojis when discussing a work-related issue on WhatsApp. These texts evolved to more than just emojis, and suddenly professionalism ceased to exist when your boss is a woman.” – Radwa

6. “It’s not easy working as a supervising manager amongst male workers in a manufacturing company. Sometimes they can’t grasp the concept of taking orders from a female head figure, and a lot of times I am met with sarcastic comments and creepy (sexual) stares. On most days when I’m walking in the factory, I can hear the workers whisper to each other and laugh. I try to ignore it as much as possible because I know the only reason they won’t cross the line is because of my managerial position. God knows what would happen if I wasn’t.” – Menna

7. “I used to work as an intern at a marketing company where my direct manager at the time would let me work until really, really late. One time I was tasked with finishing a very important presentation at the office with him on our lonesome. He touched me and expected me to be okay with it due to his position. I quit on the same spot.” – Nina

DISCLAIMER: Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.