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Would you have sex to get a promotion?

Submitted by Nicola Worsley on Sun, 05/09/2010 - 12:47

A US survey says 37% of office workers believe that having an affair with the boss helps them to get a promotion at work.  37% of executive women claim they know a female colleague who has had an affair with a boss, whilst 15% of women at director level admit to having had affairs themselves.

http://www.businessinsider.com/sex-is-killing-the-workplace-2010-8

Would you have sex to get a promotion?

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Submitted by Paul Finnegan CMgr FCMI on Sun, 05/09/2010 - 15:17 Profile image

Seeing as how I am married to my only employee.....and had been for for twenty six years before I established my own company I am perhaps not best placed to answer the direct question.  

What is interesting in the article is the references to collateral damage when people lose respect for the participants in suspected affairs - when the boss and a lower level colleague are involved.     The adverse effect on teamwork,  the adverse effects on motivation and presumably the knock on effects on performance are all arguments against such activity.

So what are the implications in respect of relationships with co-workers and are there different implications when there is a significant difference in the level of the participants.

Somehow I think this thread will get a number of views  so here's looking forwards to the discussions

 

 

Submitted by Laura Long on Sun, 05/09/2010 - 18:02

That number seems very high to me.  Must say it isn't something I'd ever even consider.  A job is nice but it isn't worth compromising your morals over!!

Submitted by Peter Hughes on Mon, 06/09/2010 - 07:56 Profile image

Depends who your boss is! Thinking about mine I'm quite happy where I am.

Submitted by Rebecca Kearley on Mon, 06/09/2010 - 08:21

Same here Peter!

No, I definately couldn't do it, even if I worked for Brad Pitt. Certain lines shouldn't be crossed. How would you be able to work with them after the 'deed' is done?

Submitted by John Milburn CMgr MCMI on Mon, 06/09/2010 - 10:18 Profile image

I have to say no to this one. I can't think of any situation where I would sleep my way to the top.

Looking at the topic from a wider perspective isn't it a bit of gamble by the person thinking that this will pay off? After all it's not as if you there are any guarantees that you will get a career boost once you start off down this route. Or is it that the next available option is blackmail?

 

Submitted by Adrian Gaskell MCMI on Mon, 06/09/2010 - 10:34 Profile image

Just to flip this round a bit.  We all seem to be approaching this from the perspective of the person looking to get ahead in their careers, but what does it say about the manager who is willing to promote staff based on sexual favours offered?

Is promotion really offered on such subjective grounds and are there no checks to ensure that internal recruitment is done strictly on merit?

Submitted by Mike Davies on Mon, 06/09/2010 - 11:01

Before we all get on our soap boxes about this, if we were to ask, rather than how many women have slept with their boss to get a promotion, ask them "how many use sex appeal in the office to get ahead", I wonder what the response would be?  Is the suggestion of sex better than following through with the actual deed itself?

Submitted by Mike Davies on Tue, 07/09/2010 - 09:27

Well that's stopped things in their tracks.  I should learn to keep schtum :D

Submitted by Phyllis Mayers MCMI on Wed, 08/09/2010 - 15:07 Profile image

I had a good giggle at your post of 6 Sept Mike!  I would suspect from what I have personally witnessed that the 'use of sex appeal' percentage rather than the 'actual deed' percentage may potentially be higher because of the promise of something to come (which in reality may never happen).  Women tend to be natural flirts (generalising and speaking as a woman of course) and sometimes enjoy dallying about with their sex appeal for a specific gain.  Having said that I have seen good looking men do the same thing.   So both sexes know how to keep the game of sexual tension alive for as long as they need it to.  For after all are most men not born Hunters (generalising here) - the more challenging the prey, the greater the allure and excitement. For us women (again generalising) whilst not all natural hunters we know what tools are applicable to get what we want.

Submitted by Phyllis Mayers MCMI on Wed, 08/09/2010 - 15:07 Profile image

By the way I have not used my appeal or otherwise for professional gain!!!

 

Submitted by Mike Davies on Thu, 09/09/2010 - 11:07

Anne Mayers wrote:

I had a good giggle at your post of 6 Sept Mike!  I would suspect from what I have personally witnessed that the 'use of sex appeal' percentage rather than the 'actual deed' percentage may potentially be higher because of the promise of something to come (which in reality may never happen).  Women tend to be natural flirts (generalising and speaking as a woman of course) and sometimes enjoy dallying about with their sex appeal for a specific gain.  Having said that I have seen good looking men do the same thing.   So both sexes know how to keep the game of sexual tension alive for as long as they need it to.  For after all are most men not born Hunters (generalising here) - the more challenging the prey, the greater the allure and excitement. For us women (again generalising) whilst not all natural hunters we know what tools are applicable to get what we want.

Hi Ann, thanks for replying.  Bit of a grey area isn't it?  There are lots of examples of people advancing in their careers because of their physical attributes, I guess actually sleeping with someone is merely an extension of that.