Sexual Harassment And Wrongfully Written Up! [new Jersey]

I have been employed at my retail job in South Jersey since March of last year, and this month marks one year with the company. I am 21 years old and work part time while attending school. During my time here, we have had two previous managers who were kind and professional. However, the third manager I currently work under has been extremely rude and difficult to work with. She speaks to me aggressively, and I have noticed that this behavior seems to be directed primarily at me.

One of my coworkers is close friends with both me and this manager. I later learned from this coworker that the manager had invited her to her home for a sexual encounter. The coworker shared details with me about what happened, and I also overheard conversations between them referencing what they did, assuming I would not understand. The manager does not know that I am aware of this situation.

In October, I made birthday dinner plans with this coworker. The manager involved herself in the plans, and I felt too intimidated to say no due to her aggressive demeanor. In early November, the three of us went out. Before dinner, we were sitting in the manager’s car talking. Although I tried to enjoy myself, I was still guarded because I am not comfortable around her. My car was parked next to hers. During this time, she repeatedly tried to get me to come to her house so she could “whip” me on my butt. I said no three to four times. The coworker was present in the car and heard everything. I felt extremely uncomfortable but did not leave because we had already planned to go out to eat.

In January and February, my work hours began to decrease. I understand that slow season can affect scheduling, but my hours dropped from 25–27 hours per week to 22 hours per week. Meanwhile, the coworker who is close to the manager has been scheduled 30–31 hours per week. Another coworker, who is younger than me and a minor, also saw an increase in hours. I spoke to the manager and asked if I could at least receive 25 hours, but she told me there was nothing she could do because she must schedule within 110 total hours. Historically, I have consistently worked five days per week while balancing school. Recently, I have been scheduled only four days and given three-hour shifts, which feels unreasonable, especially since I am a key holder and opening or coming in for only three hours does not make sense operationally.

On March 2, 2026, I was written up for “failure to listen to instructions.” I have school from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. that day and needed to stay briefly after class to speak with my professor. I communicated with the manager in advance, letting her know I would be late and would not have time to complete a bank run. She insisted that I open the store late and place a sign on the door stating we would open 10 minutes late due to a bank run. Because I was concerned about company policy regarding opening on time, I contacted the district manager to ask whether I could temporarily move change from register two to register one instead. He approved this and thanked me for calling.

I informed the manager of what I had done. She responded by stating that the store should not have to wait until Friday for a bank run simply because I did not want to do it, even though I had explained I was late due to school and time constraints. When she arrived at 12:30 p.m., one hour before my shift ended, she began slamming registers and acting visibly upset. She yelled my name and ordered me to complete the bank run, which I did. After returning, I had to lock myself in the bathroom with the lights off to regulate my emotions because I was experiencing severe anxiety and the onset of a panic attack due to her behavior.

After I came out of the bathroom, she presented me with a write-up and asked me to sign it and include any comments, which I did. After clocking out, I called the district manager. He told me that it did not make sense for me to be written up because I had clearly communicated with both him and the manager about the situation. I contacted HR, and they have stated they will be investigating

Btw this isn’t about liking her but seeing favoritism. DM has agreed with me and everything has been documented.

Location: New Jersey