Need help: My cousin’s senior harassed her at work, what should she do?
I’m a guy posting for my cousin who works in the food & beverage industry in Delhi.
One of her seniors has been repeatedly crossing boundaries for a while now late night video calls, trying to get personally involved in her life, etc. Yesterday he grabbed her by the waist at work. She got angry and immediately left the office.
The problem is this guy is very close to senior management and brings a lot of business to the company. Apparently similar things have happened with other women before, but they ended up leaving while he stayed.
There’s also no CCTV where this happened now, even though there used to be one earlier.
I’ve told her to document everything and send a formal email complaint while marking her personal email for proof. But honestly we don’t know what the smartest next step is here.
If anyone here has dealt with workplace harassment in India, especially in these kinds of companies where HR mainly protects management, please guide:
- Should she complain internally first or speak to a lawyer?
- What precautions should she take before escalating?
- How do these cases work when there’s no direct proof?
Would really appreciate practical advice.