Litigation value: $150,000. This isn’t Hooters, Dwight. Requiring Kathy to flirt with customers is sexual harassment. Additional damages if Todd Packer plays his sexual predator role as well as we suspect he can.
“Bloggers are gross. Bloggers are obese. Bloggers have halitosis.”
— Dwight Shrute
Sticks and stones, Dwight. Sticks and stones.
Dwight should be less concerned about bloggers, and more concerned about the sexual harassment suit that Kathy will bring against him. It is not appropriate to direct her to “play a sexy character” to sell Pyramid phones.
When a male manager directs or overtly encourages female employees to use their sexuality or “flirt” with customers, it can give rise to a viable hostile environment claim under Title VII. In 1998, a federal appeals court in New York refused to dismiss a hostile environment lawsuit filed by a female salesperson. She alleged that a male manager made a number of sexually offensive remarks to her and others, such as telling the female sales employees that one of them was performing better because “she flirts and attracts all the male customers.”
Standard procedure in these circumstances is to recommend harassment training. But, really, what’s the point? Nellie just promoted Dwight to vice president. I doubt she’d listen to our advice. Maybe she’d change her mind if we told her that Dwight called a perfectly nice lady Fattie Gruesome?
That’s what he said. What do you say? Let us know.
Brian, it’s being reported that Robert California (James Spader) is leaving Sabre and the show after this season. http://abcn.ws/ADVaZF Your reaction? tk