In I was a Guest Services Agent for the hotel. That's just a fancy title for front desk person, btw. One of my fellow GSR's was a weird, crooked guy named Dante. Even though it was well known at work that I had a boyfriend and we were in a serious relationship (still are!), Dante would ask me if I would ever be "into" him and would make comments about how my pants fit my behind or how pretty I was. I'm not stuck up or anything like that, so I didn't freak out at first, but after I had to keep dodging his innappropriate comments and questions I decided to keep as much distance from him as I possibly could while being an employee there.
In hindsight I should have made a report to human resources then and there, but my mom and brother were both employees there and after seeking out my mom's advice (she said she didn't want there to be any drama) I just stuck with my plan: be professional and work hard, but avoid being alone with him and just don't even respond to his questions and comments.
My plan hardly lasted a week before he became more aggressive. One night while we were up at the front desk together alone, I said I was going in the back for a water and some chips I hadn't had time to finish earlier. I started to walk past him and almost made in to the door, but he stepped in front of me and cupped and squeezed my breast, then fumbled with my name tag like he was adjusting it for me, but grinning ear to ear because he just outright copped a feel off me and he knew I wasn't fooled by the whole name tag thing.
I just turned tail and ran. I went down to the womens locker room and tried to compose myself as best as I could, but the feelings I had inside me were so overwhelming I just cried. I was mad but I felt so sick. It may sound silly to some people, I know sometimes when I heard about some sexual harrasment charges and lawsuits I would think it was silly or was partially the victims fault, but I felt so bleeping violated.
Sexual harrasment and sexual assualt are very serious things. I felt like screaming and kicking and spitting and putting his eyes out with a red hot poker, but I talked to the human resources manager Michelle Trudeau about it right away. I told her everything and she said "Dante's such a nice guy. I find it hard to believe he would do something like that." I insisted that we not be put on the same shift alone anymore and she agreed, but would put us on alone together promising that the m.O.D. Would check in and that all the managers knew about the situation.
Did Dante get suspened at least? Hell no. He knew he got away scot free and acted even bolder with me and his work ethics. He knew he had everyone there, especailly the GM (who I thought would step in on the whole deal and take a less leiniant approach to my report that the HR manager did, but because he is a bloated ass he didn't do a blessed thing), fooled with his little act and would dissapear from the desk all the time. We would even find him in his s.U.V.in the parking lot listening to sports on the radio. And his comments became even more creepy towards me.
Feeling like this enviroment was becoming more and more hostile, and there was a chance my boyfreind and I would be moving out of state, I just put in my two weeks. I didn't even want to risk staying there until we found out about the move, the management didn't give two bananas about the situation. My own mom told me to just keep quiet or leave becuase she didn't want to lose her job (not very motherly of her I suppose. But that's her).
FYI. Almost a year later there was a big thing about the human resources manager's husband in the news. He was King Vulcan of our capital's winter carnival and while he was out doing his kingly thing he sexually assualted two young ladies waitressing at a bar. He was prosecuted and now he is being sued. And Dante was eventually fired after they caught him breaking company rules, found him to be a total shirker, and suspected him of stealing cash from the hotel. I guess he wasn't such a good guy after all. Karma.
But things still don't sit right with me and that blasted hotel. I urge anyone thinking of doing business with these companies to take your buisness elsewhere. You may end up in a hotel where someone has been sexually harrassed, but I bet management didn't drop the ball with their reports of sexual harrasment like my hotel did with me.
Go somewhere where they will treat you and their employees better. And if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. Don't stop with reporting it to management, call the police too. Sound the alarm. Don't blame yourself and don't let other people tell you to let it go, stand up for your rights.
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