I am a contractor working for a very large university, waiting for my contract to end so I can possibly get hired on permanently.
I am now in fear of losing my job.
You see, another contractor (through another agency) had developed a habit of calling me 'sweetie' and 'little lady'. He aslo started hanging around my cubicle area, hovering over me while I was working on calls. He would start telling me what to do on a call, even though I had the situation well in hand and was having no problems. When I would complete a support call, sometimes he would say something like "this is what I would have done" or "if it were me I would have done this" even though I DID NOT ASK FOR his advice. I have done nothing to encourage this behavior, have made no suggestive or leading remarks, so I am quite puzzled. He does not call any of the other women in our department 'sweetie' or 'little lady' and does not hover over other technicians while they are doing their work, interjecting his 'two cents' and interrupting their work. I reported it to my agency. He has stopped calling me pet names, and has stopped hanging around my cubicle and telling me how to do my job and giving unwanted, unsolicited advice. The main reason I held off for nearly two months in saying anything is fear of being labeled a complainer, fear of being seen as less of an equal, fear of retaliation, and fear of losing my job. Although the behavior stopped immediately and my agency is saying they are 'addressing the issue' I am still afraid of going to work today and finding out I'm being let go. Do you have any input that would ease my mind?

