Employees who are sexually harassed experience less job satisfaction and lower job performance

In other news, scientists discover that stress is the leading cause of stress in the workplace.

If you are slightly familiar with my blog, you know that I am currently involved in a sexual harassment legal nightmare: the second day after meeting my new boss at my new job, the married SOB grabbed me, kissed my neck, and propositioned me three times! I notified the CEO and human resources. Nothing was done. I needed to be hospitalized, to take anti-anxiety/anti-depression medication%u2014most recently, my job threatened to have me arrested for theft because I did not return their laptop as quickly as they wanted. Now, my lawyer is fighting with their lawyer (and I am finding out, painfully, that the law is very weak to protect/help victims of sexual harassment/discrimination. In fact, the law goes out of its way to protect small companies like mine from being sued for sexual harassment!).

Anyway, since this nightmare has consumed my life for the past several months and will likely consume my life, time, and attention for the next several months, I figured I might as well try to make something positive come out of all of this.

WHO AM I?

Despite my moniker, I am actually an honest to goodness writer/scholar:

I have a B.A. in Professional Writing from Penn State, Summa Cum Laude, 2008.

I received the Penn State Professional Writing Program Achievement Award, 2008.

I was a news writer and copy editor for the Penn State Collegian.

I was published in New York Newsday at age 12.

THE PROJECT

By the end of this year, I should receive my M.A. in Liberal Studies from Stony Brook (I would like to go onto the Ph.D. after that). However, I must complete a research paper/project. For my project, I am considering a study of individuals experiences with sexual harassment, company policies regarding sexual harassment (both written policy and what is actually done, often two very different things!), the application of the law, the inefficiency of current laws, the differing verbal/nonverbal communication styles of men and women in the workplace and how this can lead to sexual harassment, etc.

I would like to collect and examine stories of sexual harassment from women (and men), preferably current situations or situations which have occurred within the last 5 years.

WHY SHOULD YOU BOTHER TO HELP ME?

1. I am a Humanities/Social Sciences grad student. Everyone knows that such academic pursuits are strictly labors of love and as such, students in these pursuits deserve to be pitied and helped. Besides, maybe I can get my research paper published (not for profit, of course), and we all have an obligation to help push knowledge forward.

2. Sharing your story would likely be cathartic for you as well as for me.

I will likely be collecting stories until 9/2009 or 10/2009, since my paper will be due 12/2009. If you think you have a story you would like to share with me, please email me: agirlandherjob@gmail.com

Thanks! Love yas!