
Sexual Harassment & Retaliation
Hello everyone,
Firstly thank you to everyone who shares, it's all very helpful and insightful.
I will keep this brief, as it is a long and detailed situation. My ending question is go to court or not? Please keep in mind that's a big deal for me, I like a simple life, I get overwhelmed if I have too many plans in one day, ha!
Anyway, I was sexually harrased and bullied by a male coworker. It was proved, my coworkers put it in writing for me( what he said behind my back) they did an internal investigation and he was terminated. Sadly, he left crying stating he wanted to hug my supervisor then threatened to kill himself. I was not happy to hear this at all, however, my supervisor, I found out later was slamming doors, throwing charts and crying on the 2nd day of the investigation when it looked like he was going to be fired for sure. This really confused and somewhat hurt me. Then, while spelling to an administrator I mentioned in passing " well, I told her on two occasions, tried to tell the director but he wouldn't allow me in his office and when we finally had a meeting the director ran it as such" this will not turn into a he said, she said... so I will do all the talking, literally." It was literal all I could say was ok, with my supervisor and HR director present. Some derails, my supervisor hired an all male staff, white, when I left 1 female remained out of 8 males. The ones who stood up for me were treated terribly. While speaking to that administrator he tells me my supervisor should have acted immediately. I filed prior with the EEOC, then retained a lawyer. They refused what we were asking for stating they are doing an external investigation. They get back to us after a month saying my supervisor was never told until 3/30/2016. I have email proof, and call logs as well as people who are aware that this is a complete lie. The director backs her every move, I will leave it to your imagination why he allows her to get away with so much. She has complaints against her from numerous nurses and employees, this will be her 4th investigation. Now, I'm a bit depressed as I did love my job and my coworkers and when I apply to a job they ask why I don't list my direct nursing supervisor? I don't want to tell them all this. She's very vindictive, you are only good to her if you give her gossip, kiss her arse, and work yourself to the bone during audits, oh and willing to put a few signatures and add vital signs where they were forgotten six months later, no thank you. Well, that what the nurse who was terminated was to her. It was pitiful. So, go further or just let karma find her? I honestly wish we just did 2 lie detectors and we would be done with it. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Anne, First of all, I'm so, so sorry this happened to you! There is so much here that seems SO very, very wrong.
As for your question, "go further or..." that's a decision you need to make for yourself. Consider this: to bring a lawsuit, you'll be paying for a lawyer, taking your time to pull documentation together, taking time to go to court, bringing up really tough memories... for what? Are you looking for your old job back? Compensation? To prove that the manager/administrator are terrible people?
I'm not trying to discourage you from doing it, I just want you to be clear on what you want at the end of it and ask yourself "at what cost" (both figuratively and literally). Perhaps a lawyer can help you think through these things. Perhaps he/she will say it's worth it - I'm not sure - but I do know that you'll be forced to think about/pay for/spend emotional resources on this for a long while until it gets resolved.
As for your question about what to say to in an interview when they ask about why you don't list your former nursing supervisor, I think you've said it quite well, "I loved my job and my coworkers..." Then add, "but my supervisor and I disagreed about patient care to the point where I felt I needed to leave." If they ask for details, say something like, "My goal is to take care of my patients in the best way possible and I do that by (then give examples of how you provide outstanding care to patients)." And leave it at that.
Finally, we're here to listen, no matter what you decide. And if you decide you want to move on, we can help with that the most.
Best of luck, Anne. Hang in there. You'll find a role that's right for you and they'll love your commitment and passion. Check back in to let us know how you're doing & if we can help, ok? Thank you, Marijoy
When they ask why don't you list your direct nursing supervisor, could you get away with saying she no longer works there? As far as pursuing a sexual harassment lawsuit--I have been through this and can say it is probably not worth it as your life will be made a living Hell. I am so sorry for this.