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Being interrogated for gossip related issues

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T-R1

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts

Hi, I have a really horrible situation. I am being pressured... basically interrogated (with threats of repercussion) to give up names of my coworkers who complained to HR about my boss and other high official having a relationship.
My boss told me yesterday to give up the names and I said I want to be left out of this. She told me to think about it overnight and this conversation isn't over. Today she interrogated me again and said that there could be consequences. Then the "other half" called me into his office and they BOTH interrogated me again. I said I can't deal with it and walked out straight to HR.
This is really effecting my work and worst - my offwork life because this is too much stress. I tell everything to HR but nothing has been done yet to stop this.

I think the reason she's pressuring me is because she knows that I am easily stressed and she knows that I am friends with everyone in the office so she assumes I know the names.

Please let me know what my rights are and what I can do. I am afraid they may lay me off as soon as they find a "reason".

Thank you!
 


LdiJ

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts

Hi, I have a really horrible situation. I am being pressured... basically interrogated (with threats of repercussion) to give up names of my coworkers who complained to HR about my boss and other high official having a relationship.
My boss told me yesterday to give up the names and I said I want to be left out of this. She told me to think about it overnight and this conversation isn't over. Today she interrogated me again and said that there could be consequences. Then the "other half" called me into his office and they BOTH interrogated me again. I said I can't deal with it and walked out straight to HR.
This is really effecting my work and worst - my offwork life because this is too much stress. I tell everything to HR but nothing has been done yet to stop this.

I think the reason she's pressuring me is because she knows that I am easily stressed and she knows that I am friends with everyone in the office so she assumes I know the names.

Please let me know what my rights are and what I can do. I am afraid they may lay me off as soon as they find a "reason".

Thank you!
You did all that you can do. Other than that you can only keep reiterating that you want to be left out of it.
 

T-R1

Junior Member
You did all that you can do. Other than that you can only keep reiterating that you want to be left out of it.
Thank you for the quick response.

Is HR supposed to handle this situation and make sure this doesn't happen again? I mean, is HR supposed to protect me so to speak? Or this is all on me?
 

eerelations

Senior Member
As I asked you before, what did HR say?

Regarding HR protecting you, no HR is not legally required to protect you in this type of situation. HR may choose to protect you, but that choice is based on HR's mandate (which varies from employer to employer).
 

davew128

Senior Member
Mr. McNally, I believe you did not deflate those balls. You should tell Mr. Wells and Mr. Goodell to stick it.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
It is not HR's job to make sure that everyone plays nicely in the sandbox together. Depending on EXACTLY what the complaint was it MIGHT be HR's responsibility to conduct an investigation into their relationship.
 

T-R1

Junior Member
It is not HR's job to make sure that everyone plays nicely in the sandbox together. Depending on EXACTLY what the complaint was it MIGHT be HR's responsibility to conduct an investigation into their relationship.
I agree but it's one thing to "not playing nicely" and it's another thing to gang up (with partner) and verbally pressure/threaten me into something unrelated to work. It's not even related to me... it's between them 2 and whoever told on them. They are both above me title-wise so this really is a lot of stress on me and I don't understand why it's not considered harassment if it keeps happening. It may sound like not a big deal in this forum but I can't explain here how uncomfortable I feel and how unprofessional I am being treated.
I don't even care if HR investigates their relationship. I just want to be left out of this mess.
If this doesn't stop, I will have to consider quitting my job.

Edit: HR told me to talk to company's Controller.
 
Last edited:

eerelations

Senior Member
Harassment is only illegal if it's based specifically and directly on things like your race, gender, age, disability and/or religion. Nothing in any of your posts on any site indicates that these two people are treating you this way because of your race, gender, age, disability and/or religion. Ergo, you have no legal recourse.

So OK, what did the Controller say?
 

T-R1

Junior Member
Harassment is only illegal if it's based specifically and directly on things like your race, gender, age, disability and/or religion. Nothing in any of your posts on any site indicates that these two people are treating you this way because of your race, gender, age, disability and/or religion. Ergo, you have no legal recourse.

So OK, what did the Controller say?
He's not in today so I will talk to him tomorrow.
So it sounds like if someone of the same sex/race/age/religion doesn't like me (or wants to pressure me for personal gains), I have zero rights? I'm not questioning your response, it's just very disheartening to hear this.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
It doesn't even matter if they're of a different race/sex/religion. Unless you are being hassled BECAUSE of your race/sex/religion, it's not illegal.

It is still not HR's job to see that everyone treats everyone else nicely.
 

eerelations

Senior Member
You didn't quite understand what I was saying. I didn't say it's legal for someone of the same race etc. to harass you. I said it's only illegal if they're harassing you because of your race etc. To paraphrase what cbg said, what the harassing person's race etc. is not relevant.

This may be disheartening for you, but that's the way the law works. If you don't like the way the law works, speak to your Congressperson about changing it.

I don't think there's anything you can do about this now except talk to the Controller. And if the Controller chooses not to take any action (a choice he is legally free to make), well that's it.
 

commentator

Senior Member
Quote: "I don't understand why it's not considered harassment if it keeps happening. It may sound like not a big deal in this forum but I can't explain here how uncomfortable I feel and how unprofessional I am being treated.
I don't even care if HR investigates their relationship. I just want to be left out of this mess.
If this doesn't stop, I will have to consider quitting my job
."

Yes, okay it's harassment. But it is not illegal harassment. Tell them to go suck a lemon. They don't have to play nice, be nice, not aggravate, threaten or talk mean to you They can do this. It's not illegal, so it's legal. But you are being treated unprofessionally. Tell them so. Tell them to leave you out of it.

If it doesn't stop, and you quit your job, you have very little chance of drawing unemployment benefits while you are looking for another job, which is your only recourse in this situation. You have to show that you are out of a job through no fault of your own. Being harassed by your supervisors about office gossip, getting called into their offices in some little "I demand to know who told what to who" deal isn't a good enough reason to give up your livelihood.

You behave professionally, even if they aren't acting like anything but a couple of immature kids. Let it slide off. If they were to lay you off for not giving up the goods on who said what about them, the company would probably be very upset with them, and you'd qualify for unemployment benefits while you looked for another job, but you know what? I don't think they're going to do that.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
Okay, I'm now in a position to be able to be more detailed. I had the day from hell at work, my boss is out on a family emergency, his boss is on vacation, I'm training a temp,and all hell broke loose with my next-door-office-neighbor's computer and we had IT in and out all day. I couldn't be too sympathetic until I got home and opened the wine bottle.

You are in a bad situation, granted. But what rights and protections you may have are really dependent on facts we don't have. If you could tell us a little more about what was the nature of the complaint to HR, it would help. And DO you know who complained? My advice may be slightly different depending on whether you do or not.
 

T-R1

Junior Member
Okay, I'm now in a position to be able to be more detailed. I had the day from hell at work, my boss is out on a family emergency, his boss is on vacation, I'm training a temp,and all hell broke loose with my next-door-office-neighbor's computer and we had IT in and out all day. I couldn't be too sympathetic until I got home and opened the wine bottle.

You are in a bad situation, granted. But what rights and protections you may have are really dependent on facts we don't have. If you could tell us a little more about what was the nature of the complaint to HR, it would help. And DO you know who complained? My advice may be slightly different depending on whether you do or not.
Hi,
The original complaint to HR (as I heard) was that they are having an affair and are using company's resources for personal benefits. Such as traveling together on business trips well in advance of the meetings and coming back way after the meetings. I do not know who exactly complained but the entire company knows about this relationship. So as you can see, personally, I am not even involved in this mess up to this point.
My complaint to HR was basically everything I stated here.... I am being interrogated and this makes me fell very uncomfortable and there were instances when I was threatened with "repercussion".
 

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