She said he then turned over and masturbated in front of her. He said nothing to her except to demand a tissue. I just froze. The colleague then went and told the client to leave. I was hyperventilating. I was crying. Do you really want to do that? When she started to feel the conversation was going sideways, she began recording it with her phone in her pocket. On the recording the officer is heard describing a lengthy, complex complaint and judicial process.
He appears to be trying to talk her out of pursuing the matter further. The officer sent her home with a form on which to write her statement. But she was left wondering whether to do so. I should just try to forget it. She learned afterwards that the spa had surveillance images of the man, so she did return and file a complaint.
This time, she spoke with a different officer who was more helpful, says the CBC. To be fair, the officer might genuinely have been trying to dissuade her from spending her energy pursuing something he thought would only end in disappointment one should not make assumptions about motivation.
The spa itself appears to be handling the incident commendably. Not only did they offer up surveillance images, but they will also require photo ID from new massage clients going forward. Take a stand. Outline what constitutes unacceptable behaviour, so there are no later claims to lack of clarity.
Have a protocol in place. Discuss sexual harassment in your training sessions. Outline a zero-tolerance policy, as well as the steps to be taken in the event of an incident. Make the protocol part of your onboarding. Have courage. One of the main reasons sexual harassment is so rampant in so many industries is because people are afraid to speak up and call out offenders. We are afraid of confrontation, of making a wrong decision, of losing business. This fear β along with dismissive attitudes β allows offenders to operate fearlessly.
