How do I cope after the person who harassed me was made permanent?

Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions on the workplace, career and leadership in her advice column “Got a Minute?” This week: sexual harassment in the workplace, changing job descriptions and a big choice to make before a pay rise.

I am the only female surgeon in my department, and I was sexually harassed and victimised by my director. I complained to my hospital, and their strategy for dealing with it was to have me report to a deputy director. Despite my complaint, my director was given a permanent appointment. I am being further victimised and my reputation is being damaged. I am so shocked and sickened. What can I do?

Loading

I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you, and I am appalled the hospital can possibly think changing the reporting lines of the woman who has been harassed is an adequate response. I would encourage you to take your complaint further if you felt able.

We saw another woman in healthcare who had experienced a terrible situation speak up. Doing so is forcing employers to reconsider their inept strategies for dealing with these situations and ensuring they do not happen again.

In the first instance, should you wish to, you can contact the Australian Human Rights Commissionmake a whistleblower complaint, or you can make a confidential complaint to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Whatever you decide, you do not need to accept this behaviour or the impact it is having on your career and mental health. Please take care.

I love my job and the large, high-profile charity I work for, but I recently got a new boss. She is great, but she has led a significant strategic shift which has led me and my team to end up with very different day-to-day jobs. We didn’t sign up for this. I have raised it with my boss, but she says it is what the organisation needs. Is there anything I can do?

Whenever a new boss comes into a team, there are invariably changes, but a great boss will make those changes in consultation and collaboration with her direct reports. It sounds like that hasn’t happened. I would be curious to know how different the role you are doing now is. Do you have the same title and responsibilities but the way you now undertake the role is different? Or has the entire vision and purpose for the company changed?

Anyone working in a charity will be committed to a particular purpose and if that changes, so I can understand how challenging that would be. Either way, speak to your boss and try to understand her reasoning. I would also ask her what it is she needs to see from you – what does success look like now for you and your team – and then you can assess if this is still a role you want to do. It may be your boss hasn’t realised she has moved a little more quickly than everyone else and so perhaps needs to slow down to ensure she brings everyone else on the journey too.