Woman says boss told her to ‘staycation’ with him in exchange for contract extension

A female employee in Bekasi, West Java has reported her male boss to the police after he allegedly required her to sleep with him in exchange for a contract extension.

According to reports, AD, 24, held a job at a cosmetics company based in the industrial district of Cikarang for around three months. During that time, she alleged that her outsourcing manager would often send her DMs, which quickly became inappropriate in nature.

AD said she spurned numerous advances from her boss, prompting him to threaten to scupper her contract renewal if she did not go on a date with him. At one point, he even sent her a photo of a hotel, where he said he was expecting her for their “staycation” together.

The manager eventually followed through on his threat and did not extend AD’s contract.

AD reported the incident to the Bekasi Metro Police on Saturday, after which she received an outpouring of support from the public and even government institutions.

The Labor and Transmigration Office (Disnakertrans) of West Java Province conducted an investigation into two companies in Cikarang that were allegedly involved in the case. The office has so far found no reason to believe that this case is the tip of the iceberg of a toxic workplace culture.

“However, we suspect that there might be some individual actions by some people in the companies,” West Java Disnakertrans Head Taufik Garsadi said yesterday.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said the case was a form of sexual harassment and exploitation in the workplace. 

“A staycation being required for a contract extension goes against human rights. The right to employment is a basic human right,” Komnas HAM Commissioner Anis Hidayah said.

She added that the boss can be charged under the law on the elimination of sexual violence (UU-TPKS), which was passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) in 2021. The law defines sexual harassment as any unwanted verbal, non-verbal, or physical behavior of a sexual nature that causes fear, discomfort, or humiliation to another person.