Q: I am 52 years old and a single mother of a daughter who just completed her first-year at university.

Last month, I resigned my job of two years with immediate effect. I did not explain why I resigned to my boss as he should have known. Now I am wondering if it was a wise decision.

I was tired of my boss and his sexual advances and innuendoes. Since I had not responded as some of the other female employees did, he was constantly rude to me in front of other workers.

I am now worried about being able to continue funding my daughter's educational achievements. Was I too hasty in resigning?

- J.M., Kingston

A: It is not uncommon to second guess a decision to resign when there is no immediate alternative. Were you impulsive or was it a reasonable decision based on the problems you were encountering?

Your afterthought has to with the financial implications of your decision and not wanting to jeopardise your daughter's educational pursuits.

Though sexual harassment is not a big issue in Jamaica, it is disrespectful to women. You would have felt violated and it affected your self-worth and self-esteem. And to add insult to injury, he has abused his authority and trying to publicly humiliate you because he felt you humiliated him by not agreeing to his sexual advancements. It was a hostile environment.

In a difficult environment you will either fight or take flight. You decided to walk away from the job, obviously feeling that your boss held the handle and you the blade.

However, in your exit interview you should have stated your reason for leaving. If your boss was your immediate supervisor and not the owner of the company you could have reported him to his immediate supervisor. However, if he is the owner of the company then you could report him to the Ministry of Labour to investigate and take action. Although some of your former female co-workers have endured his office flirting and fling, it does not mean that you are wrong to put an end to your sexual harassment. They may seem to be getting ahead at the workplace and in life because they still have their jobs, but he might fire them in the future when they fail to carry out other sexual favours that he might initiate or when he is tried of them and want new employees to conquer.

Educational expenses

Although principles cannot be eaten, there are times when it is better to go hungry for a while than to stoop to such degrading behaviour.

Concerning your daughter's educational expenses, you could apply to the Student's Loan Bureau. Since you are a single parent your chances of getting a loan are very good. You could explore the possibility of getting a soft loan from a family member who could afford it. Furthermore, you need to state the facts to your daughter regarding the reasons you resigned from your job and the potential implication of that decision for her. In addition, ask her if she supports your decision. Chances are she will and it will also be an important lesson for her as she enters the work world.

Seek other jobs. Do as much research on the company's values and practices before joining its workforce.

Your decision to put an end to sexual harassment is correct because you should not offer your body and compromise your dignity in exchange for keeping a job. However, in the future you could explore other ways of ending sexual harassment.

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