Risque talk risky in workplace
Get ready to blush.
The workplace is rife with raunchy jokes and stinging opinions about the
Clinton sex scandal, prompting unprecedented office free-for-alls about
sexual practices, infidelity and morals.
Employees are checking salacious Internet sites, meeting over coffee to
dish up the latest updates and swapping lewd jokes via e-mail.
Other headline-grabbing events have riveted national attention, but rarely
has sex talk been spoken so freely on the job.
"When you put sex in the workplace, it's explosive," says Dawn
Bennett-Alexander, a professor of employment law and legal studies at the
University of Georgia. "The water cooler talk is hot and fierce. Once these
things come out into the open, it's amazing what happens."
And it's happening. Sex jokes are flying around staid offices. Employees
are debating which sex acts amount to adultery and taking sides in a
national he-said-she-said dispute.
"The office language gets a little raw, but it's coming from everybody,"
says Jim Kuhnert, 57, a sales manager in Knox, Pa. "There are jokes and
comments from the morning talk shows going around."
Marnie Hayward, 43, a Minneapolis telecommunications manager, says no
one is shying away from frank discussions of graphic details.
"It's really gotten hot and heavy. We've got a pretty open group here,"
Hayward says. "Even at the beauty salon, they're now calling this
Zippergate."
There's little escaping the talk, as workers air allegations President Clinton
had an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and asked
her to lie about it under oath.
The emphasis on sex is a stunning first.
To some, the locker-room language that has crept into water-cooler talk is
troubling. Just letting workers repeat what's on the news, experts say, may
leave employers vulnerable to sexual-harassment claims by creating what
courts have called a hostile work environment.
Some lawyers say they've already gotten inquires from employers about
what to do. Human-resource experts are warning companies to go on the
defensive.
The position is awkward for its newness: political discussion so seamy it
can offend the person sitting nearby.
"There are off-color jokes," says Luis Rodriguez, 37, a service
representative at Salomon Smith Barney in New York. "It is hard to talk
about, especially with the more religious ones around."
Stephen Cabot, a Philadelphia management labor lawyer, says employers
are asking if all the talk can leave them open to legal action.
"Like with Paula Jones, anyone can sue," Cabot says.
Others also are giving stern warnings to bosses: watch what your
employees are saying.
"We're telling our folks not to wait for an offensive act," says Barry
Lawrence at the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria,
Va. "That also goes for e-mail . . . it can end up being more offensive than
things people say."
And free-wheeling talk can be dangerous. Remember Jerold Mackenzie,
the Miller Brewing executive who shared a racy Seinfeld TV episode with
a woman at work? He was fired from a $95,000-a-year job.
Mackenzie won a $26.6 million award last year over the dismissal, but he's
still unemployed and hasn't seen any of the money. Miller Brewing is
appealing.
The workplace infatuation with the Clinton saga, many say, could be
especially treacherous. Since the story is of legitimate news interest and sex
talk is flying around workplaces, employees may think they have nothing
to worry about.
They may also be wrong.
"If you're telling jokes with a sexual connotation, you act at your own
peril," says Gerald Boyle, a Milwaukee lawyer who represents Mackenzie.
"A small portion of America has lost its collective sense of humor."
Caution ignored
The warnings haven't stopped the seamy talk - discussions that have
employees trying to tiptoe around the more graphic details or plunging
right in, hoping no one takes offense or turns too red in the face.
"They kind of laugh or say, 'I don't believe you said that.' Everyone is
sharing the little jokes," says Marvalene Raglin, 47, an estimator with a
tool and die firm in Dayton, Ohio.
And the jokes and racy comments are flying.
Did you hear the one on the Late Show With David Letterman about the
Top 10 cool things about having an affair with the president? No. 9: Your
old job: beautician at strip mall. Your new job: Secretary of Commerce.
No. 5: You're the only college student to arrive at Spring Break in a B1
bomber.
Or how about on the Internet:
Why did Bill Clinton cross the road? To meet some chicks.
Why is Clinton so interested in Middle East events? He thinks the Gaza
Strip is a topless bar.
Why was it difficult for Clinton to fire the intern? He couldn't give her a
pink slip without asking her to try it on.
But it's not just sex jokes and sex talk. The Clinton allegations have focused
a spotlight on tough personal issues that rarely get aired on the job. What
constitutes adultery? Is it right to secretly tape a coworker? Is Lewinsky a
victim?
Say the wrong thing, and coworkers get angry. Defend Clinton and get
branded as someone who excuses adultery. Slam Lewinsky and risk being
labeled insensitive to women in unequal power relationships.
"These are very personal issues," said Dianne Blomberg, who teaches
speech communications at Metropolitan State College of Denver. "People
will find themselves in terrible positions in the workplace because they
voiced a personal opinion."
Workplace gender gap
Women and men tend to react differently, experts say. Frank talk about the
scandal often exposes unspoken gender differences in the workplace.
Debating whether Lewinsky dressed too provocatively, for example, can
split men and women and trigger ugly arguments. And for the first time,
such politically charged conversations are commanding center stage.
Chuck Ellison, 62, a construction worker in Logansport, Ind., says he
remembers no situation as seedy or as riveting.
"There was Watergate, but the revelations were much less salacious than
this," he says, adding the appetite for titilating details isn't so surprising
today.
Which begs the question: how can an employee talk about the headlines
without offending others or coming off as a gossip monger?
"It's a tricky subject and a subject people ought to treat gingerly," says
Tim Howlett, a Detroit lawyer specializing in employment issues. "Pick
your audience."
And employees can't always wait to vent at home. Workers are spending
more hours at the office than ever before, leaving few other outlets.
Experts say collective discussions on the job can be healthy, even
important. Many workers agree.
"We've got hardware and software engineers, so humor is an escape from
the drudgery of every day stuff," says Kevin Popplewell, a programmer
analyst with Northern Telecom in Rochester, N.Y.
Experts say it's wise for employers to remind workers about
sexual-harassment policies, but be careful not to stifle free speech.
Managers, too, can make a difference. Experts suggest that they lead by
example, avoid seamy language and try to put any scandal talk to good use.
"If you're a business leader, talk about how ethics are important," says
Frank Carillo, president of Executive Communications Group, a leadership
and communications consulting firm in Englewood, N.J. "Don't be rude
and crude."
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
Contributing: Del Jones |
