Crazy question. I was reading about the debacle with the Panthers ownership and someone in the comments section of the article stated "Have women become a liability in business?" Well, have they?
My office is full of women and I have never even remotely said anything sexual, but then again none of them are hot. Cute, yes, but not hot. Regardless I have enough sense not to fuck up even if they were smoking hot.
in my first few weeks working where i am now there was thick girl that would say hi to me with a real big smile on her face. i find out soon enough that she's been married for quite some time now. so i put a kebosh to that flirting bullshit. i asked somebody why she would do something like this. reply was she's testing me to see if she still has "it." why test that shit out on me? there's other guys in the office that are younger and maybe even cuter than me. i can't be bothered with that flirting bullshit, especially at then end if she's not going to get me off.
A better question is: have men become a liability in business? Sexual harassment is, for the most part, done by men. It costs companies $millions not only in settlements but also in lost productivity. If you’re such a creep that you can’t treat your coworkers with respect, get the hell out.
Don't understand. Why would they be a liability? Lots of hot women in our office. I certainly don't consider them liabilities. =-)
jack,
True enough, but these days you could be a saint and still get F#$%ed!
I worked for big banks for years. Sexual harassment training was drilled into us repeatedly. So I never make comments about a co-workers looks, I never mention if they have lost weight or changed their hair color, I never hug as a greeting, And I never look at their bosom even if they are showing cleavage. That's probably why I like strip clubs so much.
^^^ good point, and you like strip clubs because you’re allowed to do that there, at least you’re allowed to for now.
It’s not women who are a liability - it’s the top execs who don’t think rules apply to them. Basically, 99% of working men are not doing this stupid shit - it’s the guys at the very top of the corporations (and at the top levels of government).
The real liability in business is dumbasses that don’t have a clue how to behave in the proper settings.
Touchè on the fact that strip clubs has been a godsend and a respite from the onslaught of teasing females in the office
Jackslash said it perfectly, "If you’re such a creep that you can’t treat your coworkers with respect, get the hell out."
I work with a lot of beautiful women that are mostly 18-30 but I am enough of a gentleman to treat them with the respect that they deserve. That's not to say that I haven't gone out with a few girls from work, but I always follow a few rules.
Warrior,
I spent years in the IT field and a lot in the last decade or two was in the banking industry. There sure were a lot of women worthy of praise in the banks. I didn't chance anything of my behavior in the work environment.
Here's how it worked for me. It was easy to see they spent a lot of effort and likely money to appear as attractive as they could be. To not "reward" their efforts would be slighting them, so I did. In my 45+ years in that industry, there was never a single incident involving myself.
That said, I do believe their has been a major shift in reality since I retired a couple of years ago.
Some people (men and women, even straight women and gay men) see women as sex object first, and judge them first on their looks/sex appeal. If you are one of these people, you should realize that you have the problem, and you need to be extra careful. Not everyone has this issue, and what’s an honest normal thing to say/respond from someone who mostly sees women as sex objects, doesn’t come across the same to others. I’m not judging ppl who have this issue (for lack of better word), but it does create a barrier to seeing women primarily for their job related traits, and maybe for apprecting them that way.
I once had a boss who would give me work related criticisms, but never work related complements. He approved of my job performance, but would only complement my looks. Not that big of a deal. I love a complement, but it would have been nice to get recognition for my hard work. Now, imagine I also worked w a bunch of fat ladies, who also never got work related complements, over hearing him tell me ab my beautiful smile. Then it would make me resentful if they started to make snide remarks or get jealous. If I then got a promotion, it could lead to even more resentment, and rumors. This is an example of how really petty stuff can become a problem between women in the work place. I personally prefer working w strippers and in a place where men are free to complement my ass and titties all day, and I don’t have to worry about it.
At this point in time I would be reticent too hire any young hot woman. Sexual harassment lawsuits have been going on in real business for 20+ years so the majority has been weeded out with the possible exception of the crony government corporations. [I do not think of the entertainment industry as a real business, it is a luxury that has become way more important that has any right to be. [What they do is like jerking off to porn: it feels good for a while but is pointless.] Government is so arrogant they thought that they could get away with rape and torture by exempting themselves from the law then use intimidation and stealing our money to buy off these persons. Once the stories broke about & in the entertainment and media industries did you actually think that the media companies would continue to protect their sycophant apparatchiks in the government? They all have a god egos and think they have the right to fuck everyone then tell everyone what to do. A classic case of do what I say not what I do! All I can say it is about time they got what is coming to them not that they won't go right back to it as soon as they can. I have a hard time thinking of any Holywood or government official(elected or otherwise) I would piss on if they were on fire.
For 40+ years I have had women try to flirt with me at work and at business meetings. I learned years ago to be VERY careful to be polite and off putting in the extreme and to make sure all know I am not interested any sort of relationship with anyone from work, outside of work. I do not socialize with co workers outside of work at ALL. I do not go out with anyone male or female from work(never have). I have on occasion had to go to dinner or drinks as part of being a polite to co workers, boss, or subordinates but I never ever mix up business with pleasure. I am almost always the first to leave citing other obligations. By conducting myself this way I have avoided the petty horse shit in office politics. I know it cost me promotion at least once because my boss was big on the everyone being buddies and touchy feely crap.(I left the company as soon as I could secure a position elsewhere).(he literally fucked himself out of business with ex-employee-wives)
The extent of my now job related comments are typically: You look nice today or you are dressed up today what is the occasion. I would say the same about male or female employees should the occasion arise except different words. If I happen to bump into or touch anyone at work I immediately say 'excuse me' no matter who it is or where I touched them. If I pass anyone in a narrow hallway I turn away so if we touch it is my back they touch. My door is never closes all the way and is never latched. Never be alone with an underage person of either sex and I am never alone with any employee. When I have had to travel with a female employee I always request she be assigned a room preferably in another part of the hotel or at least another floor and make sure I do not know her room nor her mine.
I have been very careful hiring anyone these days with today's lazy litigious society and the chemically impaired looking for a free lunch on my AMEX.
I understand what is being said - but I still think there is a huge divide between what is tolerable at the top - and what is tolerable among the ranks. The fact that the most senior folks know they can get away with more is obvious.
What I expect is to have additional sexual harassment courses assigned to the middle and lower levels - while the top of the corporate ladder sees no change at all. Things might remain more aware for a few more months - but then it will go back to normal - and the serial harassers (in the executive ranks) will go back to chasing skirts.
in my job i rarely encountered women. and if i did most were not my type. so any possible temptation was pretty much minimal. although there were a few... i think i didn't cross the line.