3.5 KiB
title, source, author, published, created, description, tags
| title | source | author | published | created | description | tags | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saying “Put Some Clothes On” to a Woman at Work | https://medium.com/the-human-side-of-work/put-some-clothes-on-1672347d11a6 |
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2024-04-29 | 2024-10-29 | It seemed like every time we sat down to our weekly status meeting in the glass-walled conference room, she said something about how freezing she was. At least once a week her wardrobe consisted of a… |
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Is what my co-worker said harassment or hilarious?
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Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash
Rosalee had been complaining about the temperature in the office for months.
It seemed like every time we sat down to our weekly status meeting in the glass-walled conference room, she said something about how freezing she was.
There’s no question that our office was chilly.
Even in the heat of summer, I wore long sleeves to keep myself warm.
I also have a sweater that I keep in my office and I frequently put it on.
Rosalee wore sleeveless tops and skirts.
I’ve never seen her wear long sleeves, pants, or a jacket, even in the winter.
At least once a week her wardrobe consisted of a summer dress made of silk or rayon with barely any fabric at all.
What she wore wasn’t revealing, there just wasn’t much of it.
Her laundry loads must be light, I thought.
As one who never makes comments on women’s clothes in the workplace or otherwise, I bit my tongue when she voiced her desire to increase the temperature on the office’s thermostat.
It seemed silly to keep complaining when the fix was as simple as putting on a sweater and everyone else was fine.
Richard had joined our team as a project manager about a month prior.
I’d noticed his face when Rosalee complained.
He wasn’t annoyed or dismissive, he was amused.
As he started the meeting that Monday, Rosalee took her seat in a wisp of a dress.
She wrapped her arms around her body and visibly shivered.
Locking eyes with Richard when he welcomed the team, Rosalee said, “I’m freezing. When is someone going to do something about this?”
==“It would help if you put some clothes on,” he replied.==
Silence.
You could hear a pin drop in the room.
We all shifted in our seats. I was sure I heard someone chuckle under their breath. The colleague next to me coughed.
Waiting to see how Rosalee would respond, we were on pins and needles.
When she didn’t reply, but instead kept her eyes on the table, Richard continued the meeting.
After that day, Rosalee made no change to her wardrobe, but she did stop complaining.
She never brought up being cold or the temperature in the office again.
What I wonder is if Richard should have said what he did.
Were his comments rude, inappropriate, and shaming?
Or hilarious.
Read about my responsibility in my Gen Z daughter’s entitlement:
Or what’s stopping me from suing my employer: