Podcast 19 - A Workplace Harassment Special with specialist Lawyer Deeba syed

In this episode Lala is joined by sexual harassment lawyer Deeba Syed from The Rights Of Women to discuss sexual harassment in the workplace. We answer questions from followers including: Can you report bullying/non-sexual harassment years after you have left the job? My boss has made several comments about me probably getting pregnant in the future during meetings. I feel uncomfortable with this. Do I have the right to be? My senior boss at work said that my Insta posts were too saucy and that men will start assuming that on my days off I get up to a certain kind of thing and that I should avoid bikini pics . What could I have done in this situation? I didn’t report it as I was scared of repercussions. What can you do if it’s a co-worker but if it’s outside of work? What do you do if there is no HR department at work? One guy from work gets handsy (arm around back or hand on knee) with females at the Christmas party every year. Everyone knows about it and even warn newer female employees to watch out for him but no one will do a single thing to stop him or even speak on his behaviour. He has never touched me or actually assaulted anyone else but is there anything I can do to make it stop? Is it sexual harassment if someone asks you out at work? My manager is a narcissist and now someone is leaving because of him. How do I deal with him? What is your advice to people who don’t think that they will be believed? I work in a male dominated environment – they have never been directly nasty with me but I hear the way that they speak about other women. They will talk about women they have slept with in really nasty ways and they often make sexualised comments about female customers. Do I have the right to say something even if it’s not directed at me? How do you deal with little ‘banter’ comments. For example – my manager spilt a bit of water on my foot and said ‘Sorry did I get you wet?” I knew what he meant but I know that if I had complained he would have been able to justify it because technically he did get me wet. How do we deal with things like that?