Hence the gender-biased inequity of #MeToo that cries out "sexual harassment" with no clear standards. Anything that a man does is "sexual" and "harassment" so of course men can never be wrongfully accused because how can he be? He looked at me and smiled and that's sexual because I am a woman and it's harassment because I don't like it. Oh sexual harassment!! Hence men are doing everything possible to avoid contacts with women to eliminate/reduce the possibility of doing something that can be perceived as or being used to allege sexual harassment!! This is NOT men with phobia of women; this is men trying to protect themselves in a society that does not respect truth and has no sense of morality or shame. And we are not talking about rape here. #MeToo LOVES to lump sexual harassment with rape. Rape is a serious criminal offense that has clear and viable standards for specific behaviour. If you are raped, you are supposed to call the police, not just HR and/or adding yourself to twitter with #MeToo! And a full criminal investigation will ensue.
So enjoy your cheap labor of women while it lasts before one of them decided to accuse you of "sexual harassment" just because you shook her hand. But for the corporate world like Wall Street where the bottom line is literally on the table at all times, men would rather do away with the hassle of working with women and work in peace. Competing with other men is stress enough.
Please provide an example, a single example, of a man who was accused of sexual harassment for shaking a woman's hand, or looking at them and smiling, or any of the other hyperbole I'm reading here! This is exactly what I'm talking about with going full on sniveling coward over something that just doesn't happen. Sexual harassment is clearly defined in any company's sexual harassment policy. If your company doesn't have such a policy then that's a fail on them not women in the workplace and if you don't understand the definition and no-one will explain it to you then again a fail on your employer. I'll put an example of the definition policy at the end of this post, if that isn't clear enough for someone or they think it includes a handshake I'd submit that person has some issues, not the policy.
Let's be completely honest here. How many people do you know who are consummate professionals in the workplace have been accused of sexual harassment with a subsequent impact on their careers? Actual number here that you personally know. Zero I'm guessing? If you do know of such a case it would be vanishingly rare, on the order of your chances of getting hit by blue ice falling from an airplane. Is the guy who's always grab assing, telling off-color jokes, complaining about "political correctness" (which we once called basic civility), and generally being an ass eventually accused of sexual harassment? In the vast vast majority of cases, yes, and I have zero sympathy for him and anyone who would defend them.
There are no doubt going to be women who falsely accuse men of sexual harassment. Just like there are people who falsely accuse others of any behavior that we've determined is detrimental and should be stopped. In no other cases do we adopt your perverse style of logic which seems to run something like "It's possible for someone to falsely accuse me of assault/larceny/rape/slander and the act itself has to be defined, so said behavior should be deemed acceptable and should certainly never be prosecuted". There's no doubt that those who falsely accuse someone of any crime, be that sexual harassment or robbery, should also be prosecuted for it. What you seem to be advocating, however, that sexual harassment is just too nebulous and ripe for abuse so we should just allow it, is lunacy!
TLDR for you, "sexual harassment" is clearly defined and doesn't include handshakes or smiles.
What Is “Sexual Harassment”?
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and is unlawful under federal, state, and (where applicable) local law. Sexual harassment includes harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, self-identified or perceived sex, gender expression, gender identity and the status of being transgender.
Sexual harassment includes unwelcome conduct which is either of a sexual nature, or which is directed at an individual because of that individual’s sex when:
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, even if the reporting individual is not the intended target of the sexual harassment;
• Such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment; or
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting an individual’s employment.
A sexually harassing hostile work environment includes, but is not limited to, words, signs, jokes, pranks, intimidation or physical violence which are of a sexual nature, or which are directed at an
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individual because of that individual’s sex. Sexual harassment also consists of any unwanted verbal or physical advances, sexually explicit derogatory statements or sexually discriminatory remarks made by someone which are offensive or objectionable to the recipient, which cause the recipient discomfort or humiliation, which interfere with the recipient’s job performance.
Sexual harassment also occurs when a person in authority tries to trade job benefits for sexual favors. This can include hiring, promotion, continued employment or any other terms, conditions or privileges of employment. This is also called “quid pro quo” harassment.
Any employee who feels harassed should report so that any violation of this policy can be corrected promptly. Any harassing conduct, even a single incident, can be addressed under this policy.
Examples of sexual harassment
The following describes some of the types of acts that may be unlawful sexual harassment and that are strictly prohibited:
• Physical acts of a sexual nature, such as:
o Touching, pinching, patting, kissing, hugging, grabbing, brushing against another employee’s body or poking another employee’s body;
o Rape, sexual battery, molestation or attempts to commit these assaults.
• Unwanted sexual advances or propositions, such as:
o Requests for sexual favors accompanied by implied or overt threats concerning the target’s job performance evaluation, a promotion or other job benefits or detriments;
o Subtle or obvious pressure for unwelcome sexual activities.
• Sexually oriented gestures, noises, remarks or jokes, or comments about a person’s sexuality or sexual experience, which create a hostile work environment.
• Sex stereotyping occurs when conduct or personality traits are considered inappropriate simply because they may not conform to other people's ideas or perceptions about how individuals of a particular sex should act or look.
• Sexual or discriminatory displays or publications anywhere in the workplace, such as:
o Displaying pictures, posters, calendars, graffiti, objects, promotional material, reading materials or other materials that are sexually demeaning or pornographic. This includes such sexual displays on workplace computers or cell phones and sharing such displays while in the workplace.
• Hostile actions taken against an individual because of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and the status of being transgender, such as:
o Interfering with, destroying or damaging a person’s workstation, tools or equipment, or otherwise interfering with the individual’s ability to perform the job;
o Sabotaging an individual’s work;
o Bullying, yelling, name-calling.
Something's perhaps more right than wrong too. Perhaps me should have a culture to celebrate that?