A letter of complaint about harassment expresses how a person may have felt intimidated or offended by another individual’s behavior. For example, a colleague may have made offensive sexual advances.

Whether the request for sexual favor or other forms of conduct of a sexual nature that unreasonably interferes with the concerned employee’s work and causes anxiety, is distasteful and frowned upon in most work settings.

The next logical step may be to write a formal letter of complaint that is assertive but not emotional, addressed to the Human Resources Department head or office manager. Usually, a reasonable timetable to allow an investigation and interviews on the people concerned may be set.

This is necessary before the aggrieved party considers other options. Here’s a sample letter of complaint on workplace harassment:

SAMPLE

December 2, 2010

Ms. Lizanne Uychaco
Human Resources Department Head
Empire Investments Company
New York, New York 12345

Ref: Harassment in the Department

Dear Ms. Uychaco,

I am writing this letter to inform you about the harassment I was subjected to by my colleague, Mr. Robert Smith.

On various occasions in the past, Mr. Smith has been making lewd jokes before corporate meetings and casual encounters in the office. Last evening, though, he went a step further while I was busy rendering overtime work, touched me in private parts, and then forcibly kissed me. This offensive conduct is unwelcome. The harassment went way beyond my tolerance levels.

In all the 10 years that I have been working for the company, this is the only time I have encountered such a problem. It has caused me emotional distress. I therefore request that your office look into the matter, issue a warning to Mr. Smith, and consider possible change of work assignments for myself or for him.

I hope you can attend to this matter at the soonest possible time and take the necessary action.

Sincerely,

Andrea Solis