Sexually Harassed at Work, Should I Quit?

Lorina is 17 and the owner of the business where she works is 39 and says he’s in love with her. She’s tried telling him she just wanted to be friends, but he’s not listening. This guy is creepy, he’s sexually harassing her, and she needs to quit her job.

Owner is Sexually Harassing Her

LORINA'S QUESTION:

Dawson: How old is this guy?

Lorina: I think he’s 39.

Dawson: What’s he do, without being too graphic?

Lorina: He doesn’t touch me or anything, he just buys me stuff, tells me all the time he loves me, that he can’t wait until I turn 18, and he sees us in the future together.

Dawson: You’re 17 and he’s 39 and he’s saying as soon as you get legal, he wants to be with you.

Lorina: It’s uncomfortable!

Dawson: So, what’d you tell him?

Lorina: He’s been hitting on me for a while now and I’ve just been friendly about it, not really saying anything. But I told him, “Look, I’m sorry if misled you in any way, but I just like you as a friend. I just want a professional relationship with you.” He started crying and he was telling me, he was in love with me.

Dawson: Yes, he is very troubled. Why don’t you quit your job?

Lorina: But I like the job. The hours here are flexible.

Dawson: Why don’t you go to the manager over him?

Lorina: It’s a small, owned business and he owns the dry cleaners.

DAWSON MCALLISTER'S ANSWER:

Dawson: Well, Lorina, your excuses for not quitting the job are not good enough. There’s way too much emotional stress going on. I don’t trust him.

Lorina: So, I should quit?

Dawson: Yeah! He’s CREEPY, CREEPY, CREEPY and there’s no place to go. I guess you could go to the police, but he owns the business. This is called harassment. There are laws against that now. You are being harassed. ONE MORE TIME THOUGH: He’s not stable. You don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s creepy. You’re under harassment and its more stress than you think.

To learn more about issues like sexual assault, emotional trauma, and abusive relationships, browse our library of podcasts, ebooks, and blogs. To learn more about warning signs of abuse and the path to recovery, find answers to questions like these: