Being likable in the workplace is something many people in the corporate setting aspire to do. After all, in an area of society where good relationships are key to access, to be otherwise may seem like sabotage of one’s own dream to get ahead of life.
However, one major downside to this premise is that persons with an appeal to other people, also suffer from a relationship perspective that is out of the line of just being professional in nature. People of positions in a company, particularly bosses, are often a perpetrator of this problem in that feelings, over anything else, get the better of them.
Both men and women alike fall victim to the issue of being an “apple to the eyes” of their superior, but the latter is often the most affected to the point of choosing to quit their employment to escape from it all.
To become a subject of this problem is more common than people would think and it could happen to anyone. If you feel like you are this person, there are ways you could counter whatever advances your boss might be taken towards you.
1. Pay little regard to the advances
There are a handful of telltale signs that say that your boss might be taking an eye on you, often underpinned by a treatment that is seemingly beneficial or a stray from your co-workers. But, as it takes two to tango, not reciprocating your boss’s advances should give off a sign that you might not be interested or that there’s something wrong in the picture overall.
2.Deflect when possible
People who flirt often do so in an attempt to affirm a particular situation. When merely downplaying your superior’s advancement is not sending a clear message that you are not okay with it, then deflecting it head-on might. Deflection can be as subtle as raising a person of significance, preferably a partner, whenever possible during any conversation.
3.Reject any opportunity for flirtation
Flirty bosses have a way of getting to people that, while seeming casual and innocent enough, has an underlying intent that leads to something else that is not necessarily work-related. Often, it takes on the form of personal meetings during lunchtime or beyond office hours or even outside of the work setting.
“Subtle” moves such as this is often hard to face head-on as it can easily be diverted to something else as a form of defense. However, there are also covert ways you could counter it which often boils down to your appearance and attitude to your job and your boss. For the most part, it involves dressing conservatively and choosing to discuss only conversations that are relevant to your work.
4. Be candid about it
If your boss is being persistent in his whims, one of the best solutions to it is to face it upfront and tell your boss how things stand. Of course, there is still an excellent way to put it as not to close a good rapport with your boss.
5.File a complaint
When all else fails, and you are still left in a very uncomfortable disposition in the workplace, the last resort would be to file a written complaint against your superior. As much as possible, try to be comprehensive about it by detailing events about your harassment and how you reacted to it which gives a chronicle view of the events culminating to the complaint.
You might be hitting a wall given the power and influence your boss may have in the company by acting against the interest of your boss. But if it would mean putting an end to something that is becoming detrimental on your end, then it has to happen.
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Yes. The employee should seek help to HR Manager if ever he/she felt uncomfortable and harassed with the gestures of his/her boss so that he/she can file a formal complaint in the office, if needed. Sexual harassment will only take place if there’s a complainant. As HR Manager, I will always listen to any concerns of the employees, validate the claims and further investigate to both parties. I will reassure the confidentiality with fairness and reasonableness of the conversation between me and the complainant.
I will reiterate to the employee that he/she should know the difference of flirting and sexual harassment because there’s a possibility that flirting become sexual harassment in the workplace if it’s unwanted and persistent. The unwanted conduct of a sexual nature violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading or offensive environment. Also, I need to emphasize to the employee that at times, flirt and love can be misunderstood by many in terms of expressions but usually, both differs in terms of intentions and purposes.
Lastly, I will inform the employee that being sexually harassed in the workplace is protected by the law and he/she should not be afraid to report to the HR Department, if necessary.
If I am the hr of the organization the best advice I will give to the employee is avoid interaction to the boss if it is not ralated to the work or assigned the both employee in different department to avoid interaction, while investigation process happened. The best thing I can do to help the victim of sexual harassment first I will do proper investigation about the complain of my employee to show fairness to everyone. I will not easily accused someone without due process of investigation, I will ask everyone in the company about the accused, also i will check his/her work background in his previous company, and if the complain is true I don't have choice but to fire him/her even though he is in the higher position and giving the best record about the company. I will fire him/her because it is hard for someone to work with fear about sexual harassment especially for women. This type if case nowadays not only happening in women but also in men, for me this a big problem within the organization, because this type of case can cause big problem especially if the victim ask help from outside, it can destroy also the truss of costumer or client of the organization and affect the social rerlationship for the employee, furthermore if I am the hr I will not tolerate sexual harassment in higher or lower position in the company. Nowadays we can see that there are many professional which is male and female, so this is one of the challenging responsibility of the hr because he or she is the voice of the victims not only sexual harassment but also other cases than affect each one of the employees.
If he/she thinks that the boss is cute and won't bother if he/she is flirting with him/her then we don't have a case.
But, if the employee feels that he/she’s not comfortable with how his/her boss treats him/her in the organization, I would advise that he/she should tell his/her boss in an appropriate way. Expressing one’s feelings might provide awareness to the boss that you don't like the way he/she treats you in the organization. Some bosses don't realize it until you make him/her aware of it.
Though he/she is not directly demanding for sexual favors but if it makes you feel uncomfortable, then you have the right to make him/her aware that you are not comfortable with.
Don't give a thief a chance to steal something, it might catch you unaware so better be prepared. Make a diary of details of things you think inappropriate and make you uncomfortable so you could have partial evidence in case it might end up in a lawsuit or legal argument.
Remember that “ sexual harassment isn't limited to making inappropriate advances. It includes any unwelcome verbal or physical behavior” (thebalancecareer.com)so flirting might qualify for sexual harassment.
If he/she refuses to act accordingly about his/her behavior, file a formal complaint.
It's inevitable that relationships would develop in a workplace. And like any relationship it affects our lives may it be for our betterment or detrimental to our life as a whole.
In this particular case I would ask the employee how it affects his/her work life as well as his/her personal life. If it has a positive effect and later on develops into a personal relationship, he/she may request for work/dept./team transfer or any working arrangement that the company could offer if he/she would pursue the relationship. Since it is very likely that personal relationship with your boss/supervisor will affect work life.
Also if it has a negative effect, he/she should request for work/dept./team transfer or any working arrangement that the company could offer, since they (superior & subordinate) has already crossed the line of professional working relationship.
Of course there are absolutes if any of the concerned party married. Then I would immediately advise the employee to sever ties with his/her superior.
If the boss of your company is flirting with his/her subordinates, I will advise the employee to speak up, but in a way that the boss will not be offended. You need to show your boss that what he/she does is not right and not in a professional way. But if the boss is still not stopping harassing the employee, he/she can write a complaint to your HR and collect some evidence(pictures or videos) and support from your co-employees that they have seen your boss harassing you. If the company has a policy about sexual harassment(most companies), the boss will face disciplinary action and the best scenario will be he/she will be terminated in the company.
Flirting inside your company will be considered unprofessional and remember that the company is paying you to do your job and responsibilities. So your job is still your top priority as long as you are inside of that company. An office relationship can have serious consequences for employee morale, business culture, and the bottom line, the legal implications if a sexual harassment claim is made.
Let’s face it no matter how many policies are emphasized in employee’s handbook, flirtatious behavior is common at any workplace. Considering that I am the HR Manager, i will advise the employee to reject any form of flirtatious acts as mentioned in the article. I will be advising her also to dress appropriately and remind her the proper way of dealing with co-workers with respect. Any instances of flirtations should be reported immediately with recorded instances so due actions will be given based on the handbook of the company.
Being the HR Manager I need to observe office interactions, whether I am involved or not, helps develop a deeper understanding of office culture and interpersonal relationships.
Given that the employee already seek the help of HR, this implies that this matter is already beyond their
control. As an HR, you should advocate for every employee in your organization. The best thing to do in
this kind of situation, is to set a meeting for each of the employee involved. Ask their side of the story and
confirm the allegations. Without being bias to any of the gender, HR should come up to a decision and
plan on how to handle this incident.
If it is a flirting without sexual harassments, then I would call the offensive employee and remind them of
the code of conduct that we follow inside the organization. I will make sure the the person being flirted is
safe and protect their right as an employee. But if the incident made the workplace intimidating to both
parties, it already become abusive and hostile, then I will advice the employee to file for an official
complaint and support them with the Republic Act No. 7877 otherwise known as the Anti-Sexual
Harassment Act of 1995.
If I were the HR Manager of a particular entity, I would ensure the safety and security of the employee (victim) first. I will advise the employee to file a leave of absence with pay for the inconvenience. I will also inform the employee to formalize the complaints against the superior to the appropriate channels (e.g., HR Office, Police Station).
Moreover, I will make a written incident report regarding the alleged sexual harassment. This case is not only an administrative offense but is considered a criminal case. The company will also be liable and punishable by law (R.A. 7877) if this case is not heard and resolved.
A Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) will be created to handle the case of the employee. The primary role of this group is to investigate the sexual harassment complaint of the employee following a procedure. The CODI will also submit their findings with the appropriate recommendations to the company's human resources and administrative divisions.
The superior or the person who did the "flirting" or the sexual harassment will also be under preventive suspension while the case investigation is ongoing.
With this instance, as the HR Manager, I will strengthen the awareness of the employees and their superiors with the help of my HR team concerning sexual harassment and other forms of violence in the workplace.
Let’s face it no matter how many policies are emphasized in employee’s handbook, flirtatious behavior is common at any workplace.
Considering that I am the HR Manager, i will advise the employee to reject any form of flirtatious acts as mentioned in the article. I will be advising her also to dress appropriately and remind her the proper way of dealing with co-workers with respect. Any instances of flirtations should be reported immediately with recorded instances/ basis so due actions will be given based on the handbook of the company.
Being the HR Manager I need to be observant to office interactions, whether I am involved or not, helps develop a deeper understanding of office culture and interpersonal relationships.
To be in the Human Resource Management is a heavy responsibility since the well being of every employee is at steak whenever this kind of scenario arises. If all the mentioned advices above is still not taking effect and a complaint was already filed, then it would be proper to proceed with the company's protocol which address this issue, even if the superior has a very significant role in the organization. If the company is promoting a harmonious work place, then it would be proper for the superior to undergo the procedure.
If despite the effort to mitigate the issue, and if the complainant employee decide to exit, helping the employee to connect to other companies would be the best support an HR manager could give.
In addition it would be a such a dishonoring act for superiors to do such acts which would heavily reflect on the organization's credibility and standing in the society.