Know Your Rights 

By: Katelyn Vogel

Local teenagers frequently experience sexual harassment in the workplace. These workers feel that little is being done to improve these inappropriate working conditions. This is a consistent issue among all types of jobs.

One student shared a story of a time she spilled water on her shirt and a customer said, “oh look, you have soggy boobs'' she was very uncomfortable but felt she had no choice but to brush it off. She claims “the management would not have done anything anyway. Nothing would change.”

Another student tells a story about a recurring customer. A man in his late 40s was continuously targeting her. The first time he told her she was “really hot” and gave her his number.

 “He was being really pushy about it and asked for my number but I told him no," the student said. She made it clear that she was a minor.

The second time he comes in she said, “he hands me his phone and says give me your number and I'll know if you give me a fake because I'm gonna call it.” With the pressure of a line of customers behind her and fear of this man she gave in and put her number in the phone.

He came in a third time while she was doing some stocking. “He put his hands on my hips and whispered something to me but I don't remember what it was because I just ran away and I had a breakdown on the clock.“ Her coworker on shift was supportive but her manager was not. “I didn't tell my manager but my coworker did and I ended up getting a call from my boss the next day and she totally basically ignored that this guy was being super creepy and was yelling at me for giving him my number even though I was literally forced to and told me to get over it.” She says everyone in the store looks out for each other except for the only male manager who does not take sexual harassment seriously. This student experiences harassment at least once every shift.

A study done by Workplacesrespond.org from 2019 found that 2 in 3 girls and 1 in 3 boys reported being sexually harassed at work. What can you do about this? An article by Teen vogue suggests, “workers who think their rights have been violated should reach out to a union in their industry — yes, even if you aren’t in one…Document everything. If you’re experiencing poor treatment that could be considered retaliation, keep records of what’s happening” (Stauffer).

Harassment in the workplace is a major problem. If you are experiencing this, do not just let it happen. Know your rights and stand up for yourself and your coworkers.

https://www.workplacesrespond.org/blog/teen-experiences-with-workplace-sexual-harassment/

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-retaliation-workplace