Pam’s shoulder massage from Britt is an ambiguous and dubious act. United States law considers this and refers to Pam using the word sweetie as sexual harassment. During this ambiguous interaction, several distinctive elements of sexual harassment took place. These include intentional physical contact with squeezing and the use of terms of endearment directed at the coworker (Sexual harassment, n.d.). The word sweetie certainly belongs to “terms of endearment” as it is a synonym for such appeals as “honey” and “sweetheart” (Sexual harassment, n.d., para. 8). Sexual harassment occurs not only between workers of different hierarchical positions but also between employees of similar ranks (Sexual harassment, n.d.). Considering Pam’s distressed reaction and that no other context was provided, such as her supervisor’s thoughts, Britt’s actions can rightfully be interpreted as those with intimate intent, namely sexual harassment.
I would change my mind if the supervisor did not mean anything sexual while massaging her colleague’s shoulders. In that case, I would perceive it as an unsuccessful and awkward attempt to help a friend to relieve work stress. Still, this action and informal way of addressing Pam not only does not fit the workplace culture but also is unpleasant for her and, therefore, should be avoided. Since the two are friends, the first step Pam needs to take to prevent further similar interactions with Britt is to discuss why his moves makes her feel nervous and uncomfortable and should be stopped. Pam could use the argument that since Britt’s her supervisor, he is like an older brother to her. Bible prescribes those who are older to treat “younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (Holy Bible, new international version, NIV, 1973/2011, 1 Timothy 5:2). If friendly dialogue does not solve the problem, then she should seek protection from those who are hierarchically higher in the mental health facility.
If I witnessed distressed Pam being massaged by her supervisor, I would try to hint at him politely that she feels discomfort or convince him that I need Pam to help me and we should go. Decoupling the harasser from the victim is the key to stopping an ongoing sexual harassment (Segal, 2021). I do not know their current relationship status, so both could misunderstand the straightforward defensive attitude. In the place of another supervisor, I would ask him to come with me, and I would inform him of the wrongness of his behavior.
References
Holy Bible, new international version, NIV. (2011). Biblica. Web (Original work published 1973)
Segal, D. (2021). What to do if you see someone being harassed. WebMD. Web.
Sexual harassment. (n.d.). U. S. Department of the Interior. Web.