CAREER COACH

A colleague asked to speak with me confidentially and revealed that she was being sexually harassed by her manager. She is afraid to say something for fear of losing her job, but didn’t know what to do. I encouraged her to go to human resources, but she won’t. She said she is going to quietly look for another job. Should I do anything, or say something to someone?

Yes! That is a serious allegation — in my mind the most egregious allegation one can make at work about someone else. It must be investigated and, if true, remedied.

Tell your colleague that she owes it to herself to report this. Her job is legally protected from retaliation for bringing forth this claim unless it can be proven that she is knowingly making a false claim. She can speak to someone in HR or legal, or call the company’s employee assistance program if they have one.

If she refuses to come forward and you are in a management position, you might be obligated to do so on her behalf, since the company is now responsible for what you know and you are required to report such a claim. If that is the case, explain the situation to your colleague before you go to HR.

My new boss texts in the middle of meetings. I think it is rude for people to be texting on their phones when I am talking or presenting, particularly the boss. Can I say something?

Generally, I would agree that texting in a meeting is rude, but it can also be necessary to run a business effectively. It really depends on the company, culture, participants, their relationships and the circumstances.

Multitasking is the norm. At work, one can check or respond to a text and still be attentive to what is going on in the meeting if that is the accepted culture within that company.

But when someone is speaking to you directly — whether you are the boss or not — texting is definitely not appropriate. If something is that pressing, the boss should apologize, ask you to pause momentarily and then resume the discussion with undivided attention. I wouldn’t call your boss out in the meeting, but if you have a good relationship, you can certainly discuss it privately. GregoryGiangrandeisa chiefhumanresourcesand communicationsofficerinthe mediaindustry.E-mailyourcareer questionstogotogreg@nypost.com. AndfollowGregonTwitter: @greggiangrande.