Hi Veet I dont know your gender, I am writing this w.r.t women mainly and gender harrassement. Take away all genders and it can be used as neutral : ) In case if you have not given up to harassment, there are various laws applicable to working women's protection in India which can come to your aid. It's your employer's responsibility to ensure that employees are not harassed. One of the Laws applicable could be Sexual Harassment of Women at their Workplace (Prevention) Act, 2003. And its important for all organizations to have a written down harassment policy. Each and every HR professional has to make sure that his or her company has this in place and also it is communicated to all employees during induction itself. Few things which I can point out w.r.t. to Sexual harassment are : Sexual Harassment -Quid pro quo -Hostile environment Examples of actions include Leering, i.e., staring in a sexually suggestive manner Making offensive remarks about looks, clothing, body parts Touching in a way that may make an employee feel uncomfortable, such as patting, pinching or intentional brushing against another's body Telling sexual or lewd jokes, hanging sexual posters, making sexual gestures, etc. Sending, forwarding or soliciting sexually suggestive letters, notes, emails, or images Other actions Use of racially derogatory words, phrases, epithets Demonstrations of a racial or ethnic nature Comments about an individual's skin color or other racial/ethnic characteristics Making disparaging remarks about an individual's gender that are not sexual in nature What you are facing is hostile environment. Please take up this matter with your Ombud person9if there is any) else speak to HR Boss, if your HR Team is incompetent and then may be to someone senior in the company. In all cases please bring this into limelight so that the person refrains from his/her actions and now and also in future. This will help your organisation to build a good culture. Few More tips: (I got this from net) Speaking out: Speaking about sexual harassment is an effective tool in combating it. While speaking about it, the problem becomes visible, it is acknowledged that it exists, and this in turn leads one to take effective measures against it. Speaking about sexual harassment also gives an opportunity to clarify by this about it. It helps in changing attitudes of people towards this issue. Speaking about it creates an enabling environment for the victim to speak out. It mobilizes public opinion against it. It makes it difficult for a potential harasser to commit the crime. It equips people with information as to what is to be done in such a case. Speak up at the time: Be sure to say "NO" clearly, firmly and without smiling as that is the best way to let the harasser know that his behavior is offensive. Objecting to the behavior when it occurs helps if you decide to file charges later. Keep records: Keep track of what happens in a journal or diary and keep any letters or notes or other documents you receive. Write down the dates, times, places, and an account of what happened. Write down the names of any witnesses. Write a letter. People have successfully stopped sexual harassment by writing a letter detailing the behavior that is offensive and asking the person who is harassing them to stop the behavior. The letter should be polite, unemotional, and detailed. Such a letter seems to be more powerful than a verbal request. The recipient of the letter seldom writes back; the person usually just stops the behavior. Set your own boundaries: Say "NO" emphatically and clearly when you are asked to go places, do things, and respond to questions, or engage in situations that make you uncomfortable. Do not worry about offending the other person or hurting his or her ego. Take care of yourself first. Be aware of situations and people who may harm you: Don't ignore other's warnings about particular people or social settings. Acknowledge their concern for you and for themselves. Trust your own instincts about possible danger: In an uncomfortable situation, be direct and honest, and remove yourself from the situation immediately. Regardless of your previous behavior or signals you may have given earlier, you have the absolute right to halt any sexual exchange at any time. Accept this right and act on it. Tell someone: Being quiet or stoic about sexual harassment lets it continue. Talk to other co-workers; you may not be the only one harassed by this person. Do not blame yourself and do not delay. Create a Witness to the behavior: Inform a trusted colleague and try to insure that s/he is an eye or ear witness to an situation where you are being sexually harassed. This will be useful later if you chose to file a formal complaint. Send a copy of sexual harassment policy / rules to the harasser. If your workplace already has an anti sexual harassment policy or the conduct rules of your institution prohibit sexual harassment, send a copy of the institution policy/conduct rules to the harasser with the appropriate sections underlined. Talk to a union: If you are a member of a Labour union, talk to your union representative. Get a medical check-up: If you have been raped or physically assaulted, go for a medical check-up. Obtain a medical report. This is important, should you decide to pursue a legal case. Report sexual harassment to the appropriate person in the organization: Explore the different avenues available to you and file a formal complaint if necessary. If your organisation does not have a policy, ensure that your employer formulates an anti-sexual harassment policy and carries out all the connected tasks. Documenting Harassment Documenting the harassment is important for use as evidence in a case or complaint. You should: Photograph or keep copies of any offensive material at the workplace. Keep a journal with detailed information on instances of sexual harassment. Note the dates, conversation, frequency of offensive encounters, etc. Obtain copies of your work records (including performance evaluations) and keep these copies at home Other documents that you should have: A company policy and procedure manual is very important to have. The company's documented policies on sexual harassment, discrimination, performance appraisals, termination, affirmative action plans can be very important to show their stated policies versus their actions. Company newspapers, annual reports, pictures of its top executives, posters, company credo, company surveys are important to show the environment and its hostility towards women. Take all letters of commendation, awards, thanks you's and anything at all that will corroborate your positive job performance. Pay special attention to documents that your superiors have provided lauding you and your work. If possible, ask your clients, staff, and peers for letters of commendation. Every document that you use during trial must be authenticated by a witness. Keep this in mind during your depositions when the defense asks you where you obtained a document. If you are not clear about where you got the document, and who can authenticate it, you will not be able to use it during your trial. Also please read through Vishaka guidelines and ask your HR guys to brief you on Harassment Policy, in case if your organisation doesn't have any such policy, they anyways are not worth working for! Having said that its our basic responsibility to stand up and speak for unfair practices. In 2007, there was an interesting case study in Human Capital on settling scores where the boss tried to settle scores with junior by not giving work and sidelining the person. Grab a copy if possible, a lady called Sonal Mattoo had given her comments there. If this is getting worse, please involve third party like her. She is the Director of ‘Helping Hands' might be able to intervene. Regards Celina