What a time to be alive! The#MeToo wave has engulfed India and more and more women are coming out with harrowing tales of sexual harassment and molestation. A bizarre consequence is that men are now putting up posts saying they are scared to be around women or even text them or talk to them. As a public service, Metrolife puts together a list of handy tips to teach men everywhere how NOT to be creeps.
No inappropriate jokes
Locker-style talk should ideally be just locked away and never taken out. Cheap jokes that elicit a laugh in your men-only WhatsApp group will only cause women to move away hurriedly from you in public.
Moderate your chatter
It’s one thing to say ‘You are looking nice’ and quite another to blurt out ‘You look sexy’. The difference is that women look at you either as a friend or a freak. Don’t kid yourself into thinking you are God’s gift to womankind; women are never flattered by your unwanted attention.
Don’t stare
No work? Why don’t you stare at your screen and beat those deadlines: it could fetch you a promotion or praise from your boss. Why do your eyes have to follow women colleagues every time they move across the room? Unrealistic Bollywood movies may call this romance; in real life, it is labelled harassment.
Keep your chin up
Take this advice literally while talking to women. Look them in the eye during a conversation; don’t pretend to be studying a biology diagram.
Keep your hands to yourself
No pats, no rubs, no brushes — as basic as it gets, but we are still writing it down for you. If you meant it as a professional compliment, please just give her a handshake or verbal compliment.
Don’t act like a frat boy
When people ask you how your weekend was, they are not really looking for explicit details about who you slept with or how much you drank. Don’t try to enact your fantasy ‘Playboy’ lifestyle for your colleagues; it is not cool.
Learn to take a ‘no’
You might genuinely like someone and want to ask her out after office hours. No harm in this, but always respect her opinion. If she is not interested, back off politely.
No explicit content
We may all have needs but the workplace is not where you satisfy them. Don’t watch sleazy videos on your office computer — unless you work for a company that makes such videos and are just doing your research.
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