Women have it hard out here in the workplace.
We’re typically paid less than our male counterparts , have to fight harder for promotions , and lack flexible and remote work options.
In addition to this, women deal with some bad bosses that say inappropriate things.
Here, women share the most inappropriate things their bosses have said to them.
The cameras
A woman recalled the time she worked at a hotel bar. One of her bosses used to ask her to stock the fridges behind the bar. Sounds normal until you learn that he’d sit in the office and stare at her butt on the cameras.
The babies
“When I was in my early 20s I decided to take a short break from school and had my boss tell me that if I wasn’t going to finish school, I should just get married and start having babies. Because apparently, that’s all women are good for.” – u/ lyra_silver
The bowtie
When a woman worked as a blackjack dealer for a shady event company, she dealt with a creepy boss.
All of the girls had to wear bowties and when he helped her put it on, he wrapped his hand around her neck and said, “you have a small neck, better to choke you with.”
The insult
“When I wasn’t counting cash fast enough for her, she asked me if I had been diagnosed with some sort of learning disability. No, I haven’t. I just lose count easily when someone is watching me like a hawk.” – u/ bpcloe
The slap
When a woman was 17, she worked at a public library. They had the kind of computers on high tables that you had to stand to use. One day, their boss, a 60-year-old woman, walked by, slapped her on the butt, and said, “Was that too forward?”
The knees
“Had a boss say ‘I wish I had a girl as willing to get on her knees as you,’ when I got down to plug something in underneath a counter. He said it in front of customers too. Ugh.” – u/ rainy-haze
The roast
Embarrassing someone isn’t cool, especially not in front of hundreds of people.
But that’s exactly what one woman’s boss did when introducing her as the keynote speaker to hundreds of clients. He said, “She’s worked for a bunch of companies in this field… Company 1, Company 2, Company 3… You could say she gets around…”
The date
“My 50-year-old boss, who had a Ph.D. in psychology, promised me the next promotion and then about 10 minutes later, asked me out on a date. The date would be at his house, where he would make me dinner, on a day when his 17-year-old daughter would be at his ex’s place. I was 23 at the time.” – u/ wombatsarefuzzypigs
The racist
Ugh, this next one is infuriating. A former boss, who is white, said this to a gay Black co-worker: “I don’t sleep with black men. I’m not racist, their junk is just the wrong color.” What’s wrong with her?!
The predator
“Lesbian ex-boss said this to a coworker about me: “Look, there is no such thing as 100% straight. I know she has a boyfriend but what percent gay do you think xoxoxgirl is? Would she sleep with me?” BYE.” – u/ xoxoxgirl
The meeting
When a woman was in a meeting with her boss and another woman, the boss showed his true colors. The second the other woman left the room, he said, “she is NOT a cute girl” and then went on and on about how unattractive he thought she was.
The Christmas tree
“Previous boss: It was Christmas and he made all of his employees wear miscellaneous Christmas-themed headbands. I was given a Christmas tree. He came up to me and said “will you let me unwrap the present under that tree?” -u/ shameonyousavannah
RELATED STORIES
The bereavement
“When my mom died in 2007, my boss at the time got pissed at me for calling out and when I asked him about bereavement pay his actual words were ‘You can stay out as long as you want, I don’t have to pay you for it.’ I had to call corporate to get the time off so I wouldn’t get fired.” – u/ DeusEx-Machinist
The daddy issues
One woman encountered an inappropriate boss at a Christan church summer camp. When she called him out for some crap he was preaching, he responded, “You’re just angry about this because you have daddy issues.” Another male standing nearby also agreed.
The position
“While working at a restaurant I leaned over the counter to get some straws when the male manager comes up behind me, puts his hands on my hips, and says ‘I bet this is your favorite position.'” – u/ amusingmistress
