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I'm not going to speak directly regarding the way this individual handled this situation, but in general, if you experience any form of sexual harassment I highly recommend you speak with HR immediately following the incident. Don't allow it to escalate, things can only get worse. Even if it's your first day on the job, you should never feel speaking to HR regarding an incident is a bad idea.
> a company well-known for its “Do no evil” culture This was their motto a decade back and what they are doing does not reflect it even remotely. I'm pretty sure they are not known for "do no evil" culture, just that the slogan is tied to them somehow.
"Don't do evil" is impossible for a corporation with 50k employees. "Don't be evil" is a worthy ideal to strive for.
Is this really a problem with Silicon Valley? I think it's an universal problem you'll find in all industries.
So, yes, it is a problem in Silicon Valley - and ignorance of the severity of the problem is a large part of the problem (you'll find a lot of research on sexual harassment in other industries but very little on tech and SV in particular).
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20071018041054/http://www.sexual...
Is this really a problem with Silicon Valley? I think it's an universal problem you'll find in all industries.
holy frack - that's insane - and no way the first time they've said these things in front of other people before with no-one challenging the behavior as unacceptable
easy guide for men: if you wouldn't say it to a friend's daughter, or someone saying it to your daughter, don't say it to any woman you aren't in a personal relationship
>In that week, I was kissed on the cheek, asked to sit on my manager’s lap... >Protect yourself and others. Report it to HR. The correct response is to punch him in the face, defend your personal space with extreme prejudice.
In any case, as reported in the article, people in that situation are more likely to be paralysed by shock and doubt. A blunt, self-assured response in the moment is unlikely.
Is this really a problem with Silicon Valley? I think it's an universal problem you'll find in all industries.
Is this really a problem with Silicon Valley? I think it's an universal problem you'll find in all industries.
I'm starting to think that I am (or we, men, are) blind to this. If it happens as much as is reported (I don not work in SV, but I'd guess Eastern-ish Europe would be worse), then it must happen before out eyes, or even worse, we are the ones doing it. I honestly can't think of such incident, but this suggest that there were many that I simply ignored, didn't see them as such. edit: To make it clear, I definitely did…
Nobody's blind to that. Most of the time it's just that nobody wants to get involved in cases like that. For all one knows ones could be accused of doing nothing about it. So people prefer "not to see" and "not to know", just like in blatant cases of racism at work. So it's not blindness , it's just individualism.
> but I'd guess Eastern-ish Europe would be worse
Why just Eastern Europe ? I'm French and sexual harassment is an endemic issue. Same in Italy. We might have stronger laws against it but good luck when it comes to proving it happened in a court of law.