Search Results: sexual limits

Do you just hope your employer offers you a decent salary increase from year-to-year? Do you just either accept whatever offer your employer makes, or leave if it's a bad offer?

How often do you sit down with your employer and negotiate?

It can be about anything, not just limited to salary increases. For example, suppose your employer tells you that he wants all men to be shaved and well-groomed every day, and that all women are prohibited from wearing tight or revealing clothing. Do you just accept that, or do you sit down with your employer and have a conversation about it?

For example, do you say: "Look, sometimes, life happens and everyone is running late in the morning. Plus, what you really want is people coming to work not looking like slobs. You want to have presentable employees for your clients. Looking like Tom Hanks from Castaway isn't very presentable. Yet, having cuts and blood on my face from rushing to shave in the morning is also less presentable than having a consistently and cleanly maintained 1-2 mm 5 o'clock shadow or stubble. It's not like I'm making patterns and shapes on my face like I'm in the ghetto. It's easier for me, it still looks professional, and I'm happier showing up to work."

Or, for the women, do you say: "I completely understand that women pose an extremely high risk for civil litigation based on sexual harassment, both as the victims and as the offenders - creating an uncomfortable working environment. I appreciate the fact that the workplace is not the appropriate forum for a woman to validate her self-esteem or seek the sexual attention from others to comfort any of her insecurities. Yet, even though I try my best to be respectful and professional in the way I dress, let me tell you that it's already difficult to find clothes for work as a woman. What is "tight"? What is "revealing"? Those terms are not black and white, but shades of grey. I'm a size 0, but I'm a woman with breasts and a butt. If I wear a size 00, that's obviously tight. If I wear a size 0, my size, it's not "tight" just because my female parts show. I've received complaints when I wore something in a size 2, and the fabric had wrinkles! I have to buy these clothes you know, and they're not cheap, and I buy clothes that are too big on me for no other reason than to be respectful and professional in the way I dress for work. At some point however, we have to draw a reasonable line and stop. I shouldn't have to effectively be financially penalized for being a woman and having curves."

I'm just curious how often, if ever, anyone has these kinds of conversations with their employer, or if people just sit back and take it, that's fine too. Just curious.