Chip Chick
“He told me we should both take the Monday off so we didn’t have to worry about getting up for work, and he included a picture of the hotel room he wanted to book, which had just one double bed in it,” she explained.
“He sent a follow-up message saying, “I forgot to ask if you’d be comfortable sharing a room.” I was feeling a bit confused and asked who else he was planning to invite from work, to which he replied he wanted it to just be him and I because I’m the only one that deserves it, and so he wanted to [buy] me drinks and a room and have some fun.”
“By now, I was feeling suspicious and uncomfortable, but still wanted further clarification before I said anything accusatory, and so I asked him what he meant by fun. At this point, I think he could tell I was feeling weird about it, and so he said it was just to hang out, drink, and listen to music, and the room was so I didn’t have to worry about driving, and that it would probably be better to discuss in person rather than over text.”
She took some time to collect her thoughts before typing out a response to her boss, but half an hour later, he messaged her again to say that his idea of a fun time is whatever she wants and that he does not have any restrictions.
Finally, she shut the entire thing down by saying thank you to her boss for acknowledging how hard she works, but it’s inappropriate for them to be sharing a hotel room.
Her boss texted back that he is not attempting to make her uneasy and that he will book her another room in the hotel, but she can come to his hotel room to drink with him.
She stopped responding, and she’s left feeling exceptionally troubled about the whole exchange. She works closely with her boss, and she’s actually training with him to get promoted.
The trust she had for her boss is gone and now she feels sick at having to even work with him anymore.
“I’m just suddenly worried about so many things, like the fact that our job is very labor intensive, and I’m now hyper-aware of the number of times I have to bend over,” she said.
“The fact that he’s married. I’m worried I’m reading into things too much, or this isn’t that big of a deal. He is very close with my other manager, and I am concerned about whether I would be taken seriously if I expressed my discomfort. I am also worried that whatever action I do decide to take might impact the promotion I am lined up for. Whether that be to report it (to my other manager or HR), say something to him, or try and let it wash over without saying anything.”
“In my head, any of these responses from me could have damaging ramifications, depending on how he reacts, which could potentially affect my comfort in the workplace and impact my career goals.”
