About a week ago something happened at my job. While switching books over to a new system, a familiar patron came over and started to talk to me. Since one of the things which is taught at my job is to be friendly, I listened to the guy talk as I was doing my task. However, 20 minutes later he still wouldn't leave me alone. It wasn't anything bad, I just felt uncomfortable.
He finally left and I went about my business. Towards the end of my time upstairs, he came back and asked me if I was going to be there. Since I wasn't sure, I said I didn't know. He then asked me for my number. I wasn't sure what to do, so call me stupid but I gave it to him.
After this happened, I told my supervisor. She then said I wouldn't be tagging by myself for the next couple of days as well as also giving me some tips on how to handle creepy people like him. I felt safe enough, so I didn't think much of it.
The next day however, I went to go pull books. My boss at first asked if I was okay to do so by myself. Thinking that I would be in fact fine, I put my headphones in and went to go find books.
As I entered the elevator to go onto the third floor, he was in a study room. He said 'Natalie, please come in my study room.' Voice shaking, I said "I'm sorry I had to work." I closed the doors as quickly as possible, got the last book I needed and took the stairs back to where I worked. I took a detour, in case he was following me. Once in the safe premise of my office, I told my boss what happened. We gathered everyone, and no one was allowed out by themselves.
While I was still catching my breath at the desk, I had received a text message from a strange number. Who was it? You guessed it--him. I'm not going to post it here, however, it was basically him being mad about why I didn't want to talk to him. I showed it to my bosses, who helped me block his number from my phone.
This whole thing made me irritated and scared. I dreaded the thought of going back into work and seeing him. (He's a regular patron.) It made me mad because I didn't owe anyone an explanation as to why I don't want to talk to them. It's my right as a person to decide whether or not I want to talk to you.
The reason why I am writing about this is because I wanted to share my experiences for those who may not know what to do in these sorts of situations. It also really bothered me I didn't know what to do.
I think that it's very important to know, because we should always have those essential street smarts. If you find yourself in a situation like this at work (or anywhere else for that matter), try your best to leave. This means say you have to go or your supervisor is calling you (if you're at work). Be blunt, but also be okay with being rude if you need to. There's a time and a place to be nice, but this isn't it. Whatever you do, don't give him your number or any other kind of personal information. (I made a mistake there, oops.) Finally, tell someone whose an adult or older and wiser than you. This includes your parent, friends or if you're at work all of your bosses.
Just as someone has the right to talk to you, you also have the right not to talk to them. You also have the right to say that you're feeling uncomfortable as well. In these types of situations, if you get a creepy vibe from someone just run as fast as you can. If the harassment continues, consult police or campus police if in the University setting.
Like I said, when it comes to safety also put it first. If someone gives you a creepy vibe, than try to get yourself away from the situation. I believe it's important not only for women to know what to do, but for men as well. Why? Because, friends as they taught us in pre-school....safety first.
Did anything of this nature ever happen to you? Tell me, I would like to hear about your experiences.
He finally left and I went about my business. Towards the end of my time upstairs, he came back and asked me if I was going to be there. Since I wasn't sure, I said I didn't know. He then asked me for my number. I wasn't sure what to do, so call me stupid but I gave it to him.
After this happened, I told my supervisor. She then said I wouldn't be tagging by myself for the next couple of days as well as also giving me some tips on how to handle creepy people like him. I felt safe enough, so I didn't think much of it.
The next day however, I went to go pull books. My boss at first asked if I was okay to do so by myself. Thinking that I would be in fact fine, I put my headphones in and went to go find books.
As I entered the elevator to go onto the third floor, he was in a study room. He said 'Natalie, please come in my study room.' Voice shaking, I said "I'm sorry I had to work." I closed the doors as quickly as possible, got the last book I needed and took the stairs back to where I worked. I took a detour, in case he was following me. Once in the safe premise of my office, I told my boss what happened. We gathered everyone, and no one was allowed out by themselves.
While I was still catching my breath at the desk, I had received a text message from a strange number. Who was it? You guessed it--him. I'm not going to post it here, however, it was basically him being mad about why I didn't want to talk to him. I showed it to my bosses, who helped me block his number from my phone.
This whole thing made me irritated and scared. I dreaded the thought of going back into work and seeing him. (He's a regular patron.) It made me mad because I didn't owe anyone an explanation as to why I don't want to talk to them. It's my right as a person to decide whether or not I want to talk to you.
The reason why I am writing about this is because I wanted to share my experiences for those who may not know what to do in these sorts of situations. It also really bothered me I didn't know what to do.
I think that it's very important to know, because we should always have those essential street smarts. If you find yourself in a situation like this at work (or anywhere else for that matter), try your best to leave. This means say you have to go or your supervisor is calling you (if you're at work). Be blunt, but also be okay with being rude if you need to. There's a time and a place to be nice, but this isn't it. Whatever you do, don't give him your number or any other kind of personal information. (I made a mistake there, oops.) Finally, tell someone whose an adult or older and wiser than you. This includes your parent, friends or if you're at work all of your bosses.
Just as someone has the right to talk to you, you also have the right not to talk to them. You also have the right to say that you're feeling uncomfortable as well. In these types of situations, if you get a creepy vibe from someone just run as fast as you can. If the harassment continues, consult police or campus police if in the University setting.
Like I said, when it comes to safety also put it first. If someone gives you a creepy vibe, than try to get yourself away from the situation. I believe it's important not only for women to know what to do, but for men as well. Why? Because, friends as they taught us in pre-school....safety first.
Did anything of this nature ever happen to you? Tell me, I would like to hear about your experiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment