Sexual Harassment At Work, Afraid To Go To Hr.

Location: Texas

Hello Reddit,

I’ve been struggling with how to handle a situation at work for several months, and I’m hoping for some guidance or perspective.

My manager (50s M) has been behaving inappropriately toward me (31 M) for nearly a year. It began with comments I tried to shrug off, but they’ve become increasingly explicit and unprofessional. For example, just this past Wednesday, a coworker came into our shared office, and my manager made a sexual remark involving me that made both of us very uncomfortable.

These comments aren’t isolated — they happen regularly.

In addition to the remarks, he touches me in ways that make me uncomfortable, such as on my neck, ears, lower back, and waist. I’ve told him multiple times that I don’t want to be touched, but he continues. I deal with anxiety, and in the moment I often shut down or try to laugh it off, even though it bothers me a lot.

This situation has begun to affect me emotionally and mentally. I’ve called out of work several times because I didn’t feel able to deal with him, and I’ve started therapy to work through the stress.

I haven’t reported this internally because my manager is close with HR and several executives, and based on what I’ve seen, I’m concerned about retaliation or being pushed out of my job.

I’m starting to think that I may need to explore a formal or legal route, but I’m unsure what kind of information or documentation is important. Some interactions may be on workplace cameras, and although I don’t have recordings of his comments, several coworkers have witnessed both the touching and the remarks. A couple of them have even encouraged me to report it.

I’m not sure what my next step should be other than talking to a lawyer. I'm also not sure what kind of lawyer would be best for this.

Any input would be appreciated.