I was sexually assaulted at an industry event, and my employer did nothing to support me

What do you do when your CEO sexually assaults you at the company Xmas party then pays you off and makes you sign an NDA to never discuss the incident?

I was physically assaulted

Left the agency as a result

I didn’t believe pursuing it would be good for my career

Thank you for sharing your story Susie. A powerful reminder of our basic human rights

Call the Police – I would do this as a leader, colleague, friend, employee or otherwise, no matter who is on either side of the story. This is a crime and it needs to be investigated professionally, not debated by HR, management or other people who have no right to judge themselves – good/smart people in these scenarios should know what to do.

@Xmass Harrass even if you’ve signed and NDA and been paid to be quiet, speak to a lawyer, what happened to you is still a crime, no matter how much you have been bullied to keep quiet.

This is very brave Susie, and women all over the industry thank you for speaking out so boldly. What you have been through is completely unacceptable, and the industry needs to listen to women and support them.

Thanks so much for raising awareness around this Susie, very much a #metoo moment. Without proper policies or processes in place, not only is there harm caused by the sexual harassment itself but further harm and stress from experience of figuring out what to do next when there is nothing formal to refer to and the people to report it to are inexperienced and incompetent at handling it. This industry needs to seriously lift its game and all employers need to be held accountable for providing safer work environments for women, free of discrimination and harassment.

I was an executive on the management team of the flagship office of an internationally renowned agency. I experienced severe bullying by a Senior Planner who was in a clique with some of my fellow execs. When it reached boiling point, I made a formal complaint. The next day, the Senior Planner was stood down. One month later, I was made “redundant” even though my role is a one of a kind and essential to all agencies. I was being managed out because I had become branded as a “trouble maker”.

You can’t stand up and follow policy or process, even if you’re right or innocent or a the top of the agency food chain. Companies bury their dead.

Mine was only bullying, and male on male. There is no hope for sexual harassment victims.

Thank you for speaking up about this Susie. My heart breaks that you were left feeling “unworthy and a nuisance”. That on top of everything you had gone through is just not right. Not only should managers be trained better to deal with issues like this but as a HUMAN, you’d think we’d ALL be trained to express our empathy and tap into our supportive instincts towards situations like this. I, and many of us here, stand with you.

Susie, thank you for your courage to share this traumatic episode in your life. Once trust is broken in any way by anyone, it’s hard to get it back. You did well to walk away through a report on the culprit (and certainly jailtime to bring remorse), would be good to help others be on the alert if the same thing may happen to them too. Intelligence has nothing to do with morality and decency. The chap was brazen because he has probably done it many times and will not be surprised even done it growing up. Some actions never change. While the trauma will take time to go away, opening up like this is a great way to bring justice. So well done. Every success in your new future.

This is a job for the cops, not your boss. While your employer might have policies in place to support you through this with time off, counselling etc, there is no way most businesses would be equipped to deal with this in real-time and provide adequate outcomes. It’s the luck of the draw when it comes to bosses – some people have empathy and others don’t. And no amount of policies will rid us of the predatory and entitled a-holes that we encounter in every walk of life. Let’s not kid ourselves that can be changed.

I was sexually assaulted, at an industry awards night, in a very public space, by a very, very prominent CEO who stuck his entire hand up my skirt. I was so shocked that I did nothing. Not laugh, or gasp or anything. Nothing.
This man is highly revered in the industry, and by some of my good friends who I would want to know better.
But I can’t tell them. They don’t want to hear it, and when I imagine telling them, I also imagine them excusing it away, or telling me I must be wrong, or worse – quietly thinking I made it up.
How can anyone hope for things to be better when the most prominent CEOs are also perpetuating this behavior??

The only way atrocious situations like this change is if decent people stand together and say loud and clear that it’s disgusting and completely unacceptable. That includes being willing to take a short term financial hit in favour of healthier workplaces, where the best talent thrive and deliver great work (as opposed to the biggest bullies rising to power).
This is true of all kinds of bullying and exploitation (and I’m absolutely looking at you 2GB). But especially this kind.
Applause for your courage, Susie, and everyone else who’s dared speak up when it felt risky. The only thing required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

I was too, pressured by the CEO, forced into a cab and told we were going to his place. After repeatedly telling the cab driver to drop me home, lucky for me the cabbie listened to me and not my boss. Seriously he acted like nothing ever happened the next day at work. Married with a child and gorgeous wife – he’s an ass

Heard a similar story (factual) a few years back at a major publisher in Australia. A person was being bullied by their bosses boss, unfortunately for some reason they had a protective halo around them and their boss stood at their defense. Didn’t help that the bullies behaviour was the exact opposite of what their boss was trying to enforce across their team, the bullied individual was pushed out

At my first agency, I overheard the CEO, very loudly and publicly discussing a sexual harassment complaint made by the receptionist about one of my colleagues. He dismissed the accusation as ” the fat one was probably jealous that the skinny one was getting all the attention.” It sets the tone for how the rest of the agency responds to any harassment. Fast forward a few years later another sexual harassment complaint was made about the same employee. Their response was to make the person who complained redundant.

Well done for speaking out about this Susie. This is unacceptable behaviour by the company and person involved. I’m sorry you had to go through such a horrific experience and not have the necessary support from your work colleagues. It doesn’t matter if you’re female or male, we all have the right to feel safe at work functions.

I was made aware of two cases of harassment from two different Managing Partners on the same young female Account Exec at a very, very prominent creative agency in Melbourne.

I found myself redundant not long after escalating the rumours to management. The young AE was moved sideways and literally sat in front of the lifts and ignored until she resigned.

One of those Managing Partners went on to become the Managing Director.

i was harrassed by my manager. firstly asked advice of my old manager whom i worked for 5.5 years in the same company and whom i respected. his advice was for me to find a new job and that he would be my reference. i made several other complaints to senior manager. i was victimised at work and pushed out to resign from a job that i worked for seven years. i found a new job and left. i made a constructive dismissal claim to fair work. fair work commissioner decided my manager has developed feelings for me and that his actions were only unwise given the obvious power dynamics but not harrassment.
commissioner decided i was not dismissed and that i left my employment because i found a new job (chicken or the egg). judicial system might cause further trauma and victimisation. it’s very expensive and stressful process to go through.
judiciary is stagnant and very slow to accept change. unfortunately, judicial officers are not all trained to understand what harrassment is, how it affects the person in the receiving end, and what the consequences are for the victim.
we all need to change for things to change. there is lack of awareness, there is ignorance. perhaps media can help with this.

I had an attractive young lady work for me as a designer. She would need to work with our clients one on one. On 2 separate occasions, I had male clients inappropriately harassed her.
One was a client of three years and one was a new client. On both occasions, I switch out designed immediately to work with the clients and finish the jobs and then I fired the clients.
The clients knew they were being fired for inappropriate harassment to one of my staff. Neither denied it after they were fired.
If your staff know you have their backs they will trust you.

Hi Susie,

A big industry name Chairman slipped his hand down into the HR Directors under garments at their Xmas Party this year. She was startled and alarmed. It was reported by a new member of staff supported by another. They felt ashamed because they didn’t do anything on the night.

The Director of HR told them to forget it and that it was just XXX being XXX. He also has previous form for sending girls in the agency messages asking them to wear certain things or certain colour nail varnish. When previously approached by the management team about the allegations he reportedly said nothing. As in literally not a single word or response.

How do you deal with that when the person who is supposed to be protecting staff (HR) is promoting tolerance of sexual assaults or related behaviour?

Recommendations welcome.

By “an industry stalwart” no doubt.

[Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]

My God, what has happened to our industry and the world when scumbags like this assume the positions of authority.

Perhaps I’m out of step with how these things are reported but we have #MeToo which seems to focus on celebrities but how are everyday office staff or our young interns supposed to report these sort of predators and offenders.

Susie: Is there a mechanic for reporting these things?

[Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]

Its never the first time with office creeps and perverts. I mean there obviously was a first time but it was probable back in school and their behaviour has evolved unchecked and therefore confidence grows and they tend to create a circle of acceptance.

I’ve seen this personally. Its easy to become one of the “acceptors”. What do you do when you need a job, and your boss or Chairman knows everyone in the industry, you are a nobody getting started and you see something filthy happen.

The truth is there is little structure, particularly in smaller businesses and this is why these perverts keep going.

In some ways if you really examine it, being exposed on a small level probably helps them grow. People dont report things, acceptance levels are adjusted in line with their behaviours or weird text messages and suddenly you are on the wrong team.

I know its strange but there is a touch of “I was only obeying orders in this”.

It would be good to see a Mumbrella conference on this, there is lots of scope. Time to dredge the sewers.

Think about it from the predators perspective as well. When you are a big name with a big profile its hard to know where to turn to get help with these anti social behaviours.

No one wants to be a predator or pervert, why would they? All get outed eventually whether only by reputation among a few peers or legally held accountable. Many have wives and families who would be shocked to hear about these things.

For those who grew up in the industry in the 80s and 90s an entirely new set of values is needed and this is important to role modelling correctly in the future. Greater education, more conservative attire at work and at business functions and less alcohol would be a good start.

Until women start getting physical in return such as [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] the man this will continue.
If women started doing this to men, it would slap them in the face and make the news.
But women don’t do that because we aren’t assholes.