6 Things to Do If You're Assaulted at Work

By Abriana Gonzalez on June 16, 2019

My 2019 didn’t get off to the best start. I didn’t keep any of my New Year’s resolutions, I gained five pounds, and I was assaulted with a knife at my new job.

Coming face to face with a thick, sharp, black knife on my second day at a new job was a harrowing experience to say the least. I’d like to say I stood adversity head on and properly advocated for myself and found justice, but I didn’t. I froze up. I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do in this situation. All the articles I read to prepare myself for my new job couldn’t help me when my coworker put a knife to my throat.

In the current #MeToo and #TimesUp era we live in, talking about any kind of assault—sexual, physical, or otherwise—can sometimes seem like walking through a minefield blind; and no two experiences are the same because of the numerous possibilities that can occur when dealing with an assault. It’s a delicate issue. But my experience with assault and anxiety taught me lessons those entering the working world should know. This article will mainly detail what to do if you are physically assaulted or made to feel unsafe in your working environment; however, elements of it can be applied to those who underwent assault of a sexual nature at work as well.

I sincerely hope no one else is put into any kind of dangerous situation, but if anyone reading this finds themselves in a similar situation please try to remember the following:

Stop Working

For some bizarre reason, immediately after my assault, I kept working for a good half an hour because I wasn’t sure what had happened actually warranted any interference from management. I didn’t want to make trouble and be an inconvenience to anyone. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation where you are made to feel unsafe remember you matter more than words can express. There is nothing more important than your well-being and it is perfectly okay and expected for you to stop working.  Get yourself to a safe location. Take a moment to collect yourself and process your emotions and realize what just happened to you is very serious.

Tell Someone

After you collect yourself, try and work up the courage to tell someone you feel comfortable with, whether this person is your friend, parent, work associate, significant other, or boss what happened to you. When faced with my assault, I was scared of what my mother would do on my behalf, so I chose to reach out to my best friend before I told my mother.

Write Down What Happened

Writing down what occurred during the assault and telling someone about the encounter are interchangeable steps and if you feel comfortable telling someone quickly after the incident then, by all means, switch these two steps. But writing down what occurred during the incident is paramount not only for your healing process but also for seeking justice for yourself, legal or otherwise. Writing down what occurred during the encounter also allows you to clear your head and helps you remember details that may get you justice if you decide to take the legal route to justice.

Get a Copy of the Incident Report

After I told my supervisor what had happened to me, she led me into her office and had me give a statement without telling me what the information would be used for or giving me enough time to collect myself and memories of the assault. As a result, I didn’t put down all that I wanted to in my incident report which ended up complicating matters for myself later when I went to the police.

All upper-level management should automatically give you details on what if any reports you’re filling out and what those documents are used for. All upper-level management should always give you a copy of the incident report; they undergo training for these types of situations and if management does not handle the situation well consider going straight to your HR representative and relay your experience with both the perpetrator and your boss if you feel comfortable doing so. If you find yourself in a similar situation, make sure you are aware of how the information you give to the company will be used and make sure you receive a copy of your report. You may need it later.

Decide Whether or Not to Press Charges

For some reason after what had happened to me, I walked home in the dark to my apartment and told my mother everything that had happened to me that day. She lost it. And my mother really wanted me to press charges against my assaulter, but I wasn’t sure. I thought it seemed a bit dramatic. But in the end, I decided that was the best course of action I could take for my safety because my safety matters and because I matter.

Deciding whether or not to press charges in an assault case can be extraordinarily difficult because you have to consider the ramifications of the actions not only for yourself, your support system, and the financial, and in some cases, professional aspects of your life. This cannot and should not a split-second decision because it can affect so many lives, most importantly yours. However, if you feel you have a clear case, if you’re not sure about your case, or if you don’t even know what a “case” is, step a bit outside your comfort zone and alert your local authorities about what occurred. The healing process is long and at times difficult, but when you feel ready to disclose the information please do so for your benefit and for the benefit of those around you. 

Focus on Feeling Better

Feeling better for me, was the hardest part of my assault. I wanted to feel better immediately. I wanted things to go back to normal. I wanted to feel safe again. I wanted to stop avoiding the area where my assault happened, but it was hard, and it took months for me to feel completely at ease again. For a while, I pushed my feelings aside in an effort to feel better immediately and that actually ended up making things worse. However, it was after I decided to face my trauma head-on that I began to feel better.

Keep a Journal

One of the first things I did to try and feel better was journaling. I somehow felt needy when I was journaling as if my journal didn’t sign up for all the baggage I suddenly had, but I found I felt immensely better once I started. Journaling is proven to help boost mood, overall sense of well-being, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve memory. Journaling gifted me with a platform to work through my feelings and figure out exactly how I was feeling and gave me a chance to monitor my healing process.

Therapy

Deciding to start therapy is usually a long and conflicting process, but it was the exact opposite for me. I decided I wanted to feel better and really make sure I was starting to heal so I signed up for free therapy hours at my university and I was shocked at how quickly I began to feel more and more like myself. I grew up believing therapy was for crazy people and “normal,” healthy people didn’t need it, but that’s not the case. Going to therapy was a form of radical self-care for me that made me feel more connected to myself and forced me to love myself, flaws and all.

Engage with Your Support System

One of the most important things I did following my assault was talking, expanding, and generally being around my support system. There was a period of time where I called my mother at least once a day until I felt like myself. However, it was when I spoke to my support system that I felt the most like myself. I felt like I wasn’t alone, and it turns out me opening up about what I was going through inspired some of my friends to disclose similar experiences they had.

Engaging and trusting those I chose to surround myself with eased my anxious mind and made my relationships stronger. Six months after my assault, four months of therapy, and three months of medication, meditation, and radical self-care I now feel better than I originally did, and I have a new appreciation for life. Six months after my assault I realized that transition—no matter the form it takes—is a radical form of self-love.

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