You are all missing the point. Where there is real intimidation and sexual harassment - where one's career or job is on the line - that is verging on tyrannical management practices.

Some posters are great at playing the victim card unless it pertains to the opposite sex, then it is suddenly invalid.

Most of us have had unwanted sexual advances, and are capable of handling it, but what if those advances continue and become more aggressive.

The problem is in the past it is often the perpetrator that remains and the victims that have to leave (or feel they have to) ie. that they are the problem not the creep.

The same goes for whistleblowers and complaints about bullying - it is rife in the APS and we can either put up and shut up or do something about it.

I don't know pelican, I reckon life is too short. If I find a work environment disagreeable, I just leave. For whatever reason.

Who's winning here. The person still in the ridiculous company fighting against d1ck heads, or the person who has risen above it and found a better company.

Also, surely you must know of employees who are just looking for any excuse to not work and make a drama out of everything. You may say it's blaming the victim, but how far should the world pander to troublemakers. Not saying a chick who's had her boobs groped is a troublemaker (before anyone twists this around), just that there are some that look to take offence at an email the whole office thought was pretty funny.

In the end, as I said before, nobody can really intimidate you unless you allow it. Sexual assault is one thing, but there are so many more cases that are a storm in a tea cup. There's a certain type of person who is always claiming this or that.

I'm sure a lot of these 'implied' sackings if you don't shag the boss is all in the head of the employee. I think you really have to work on explicit threats of the sack, not implicit ones.

Personally Houlley, I would choose to leave and I have done so recently - not in relation to SH I should add but quite a different experience.

Thankfully these situations don't happen on a regular basis but it can be quite life-changing and emotionally upsetting. But we all get over it.

Shite happens and you can either get on with your life or you can fester. I am not advocating the festering but neither do I believe the worst offenders should always get a free pass.

SH is a difficult situation because you can also go too far and become too highly-attuned as a business because of fear of litigation, meaning that sometimes those grey areas might be blown out of proportion.

I am really only talking about the big stuff but I understand the overall complexities.

Dear Pelly,

Well said!

Personally, I too would choose to leave.
But as you stated - it doesn't mean
that offenders should get a "free pass."

And yes, we are talking about the "big stuff"
here - and it is a serious problem for all
concerned.

Foxy,

With only the media reports and lawyer posturing to go by I don't know what to think.

Dear Cornflower,

That's fair enough.

Let's wait and see, and hopefully all the facts
will come out once the case gets to court
later in this month.

Who knows, we might all be surprised?