My Story of Harassment and Resilience

The Team-Building Trip That Went Too Far

Disclaimer: This isn’t funny. Harassment is hard and painful, and my heart goes out to anyone who’s had to deal with it. I‘m sharing this personal story with the hope that it will give others the strength to face similar situations and remind them that they’re not alone.

The larger the company, the greater the drama — or at least, that’s what I learned in my time as a product owner at a not-quite-FAANG American corporation. It had all the classic corporate quirks: endless Slack messages, awkward all-hands, and, oh, the beloved team-building events.

Now, don’t get me wrong, team-building is great! It’s a golden ticket for those of us stuck behind screens all week. We could actually meet in-person, with food and drinks paid for by the company. So when we had a chance for a weekend outing, I was excited. It was a smaller group — around 15 of us, mostly men and two women. We started with a wine-tasting tour, which seemed harmless enough. We’d learn to swirl, sniff, and sip like pros.

However, one of my coworkers — we’ll call him “Nick” — didn’t quite get the “sip” part. So, by the time we left the winery, he wasn’t just tasting the wine; he was buying bottles and popping them open as we walked.