Male, Female Employees Now Wary Of Contact

A survey finds both men and women are wary of one-on-one situations with co-workers of the opposite sex. That includes private meetings – about a a fourth of those surveyed say that’s  “inappropriate” – as well as dinner or drinks, which were deemed unacceptable by a majority of women and nearly half the men. “Attitudes reflect a work world shadowed by sexual harassment,” says New York Times writer Claire Cain Miller. These results put vice president Pence’s widely reported declaration – that he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife – into some context, she notes. Whatever one’s views on the trend -whether it’s commendable rectitude, exaggerated fear of a legal mess, or something else – it’s pretty clear that it effectively constitutes one more barrier to gender equality in the workplace. If the majority of power in the workplace attaches to men, and you feel there are strict limits to the circumstances in which you can communicate with any of them, it’s likely to be one more obstacle to advancement.