I recently joined the company as a contractor intern, and I’m on track to convert to a full-time role in about three months. There’s another Indian contractor on the team, about 15 years older than me, whose behavior has been making me increasingly uncomfortable.
When I shadow him for work, he often stands unnecessarily close—so close that I can feel his breath. He also snaps his fingers to get my attention, which I find very disrespectful. During long meetings, he sends me casual messages over Teams, like saying he’s too hungry or making unrelated comments, which feel inappropriate and unprofessional, especially since we’re not personally close.
He often asks me whether I’ll be coming into the office and tries to come in on the same days. He knows I’m happily married, and he himself has two children, yet his behavior feels intrusive. He’s also made remarks suggesting that this line of work might not be suitable for women, which is both inappropriate and discouraging.
While he hasn’t physically touched me, as a woman, I strongly feel that something about his behavior isn’t right. It’s been affecting my sense of comfort and focus at work.
As this is my first job after being home for a long time, I was hesitant to speak up with my boss atleast until I get converted into FT. How to navigate this scenario for the coming 3 months? I’m scared to go to office . One day to avoid discomfort I was sitting next to my manager and was working, he intentionally caused some issue on that day and complained to my manager that it would be easier to shadow if I sit next to him.