Is telling an employee not to wear a thong to work sexual harrassment?

Answer 1

Depends who you are and if wearing a thong violates the company's published dress code.

If the thong is not clearly visible then her wearing it is none of your business. If she is somehow highlighting the fact in an inappropriate way, then it could be a concern.

If you are not her boss then you should have this discussion with her boss or with HR. If you are her boss, ask HR to discuss it with her. Don't set yourself up for a sexual harrassment case over a thong.

Answer 2

It depends. Can the thong constantly be seen? If the person typically wears the common low rise pants these days the thong is often on display when they sit. That is inappropriate for underwear to be seen - thong or no thong. This just falls under the category of proper attire and appearance.

If the thong is never seen then it's just weird that it would be an issue or brought up. How would they even know you are wearing a thong?

Answer 3

i do not think so but some gold digging employee will say so because she can. If it is showing and you can see it, then you could Say her clothing makes you feel awkward, and uneasy that's why there are dress codes. Since you are a male and she is a female I would tell her with someone from HR or with a female supervisor present, if not tape the session and let her know. She can wear thongs as long as others are not aware...you cannot tell her what kind of underwear to wear, unless it is visible

Answer 4

The fact that you know an employee is wearing a thong is an indication of harrassment to YOU. Unless you are management, I wouldn't mention the thong, however, you can complain to management that it makes you uncomfortable and you are completely within your bounds because YOU are the one being made to feel uncomfortable. I know how you feel too, I had a guy I worked with who wore skin tight jeans to work every day that were 3 sizes too small and *ahem* showed more about his "package" than I cared to know. I really liked the guy, thought he was a sweetheart and didn't want to hurt his feelings but he was grossing me out! I finally went to management and asked that they say something to him and they were legally obligated to do so even though the manager himself moaned and groaned about how uncomfortable it was going to be to mention it. The next day the guy showed up in new pants, the correct size. I made sure to pay him compliments on how nice his new outfit looked, as did everyone else in our department. UGH! How uncomfortable! If you mention it to the employee, you could get pegged with harrassement so let mgmt take care of it.

Answer 5

Whether it's sexual harrassment depends on your relationship to the person. If you are the manager, you need to be very careful and explain that this is about following the dress code. Saying it any other way could constitute harassment.

If you are a friend and want to help this person dress better, you could tell the person outside the office in a relaxed setting. If you are a co-worker or below this person's rank, you should bring it to management and not say anything at all.

Answer 6

That more than likely would be debatable. Is this person showing the thong? what is the dress code? you need to look at things like that. A lot of employers will not let the females of males wear the tops that come up high that way you do not see the body. If you feel there is a problem ha HR talk to this person that will solve the problem.

Answer 7

Depends on how you noticed it in the first place. Is she wearing "see-thru" pants?

If there is a DRESS CODE in effect at your work which clearly defines appropriate work attire, and this person continues to defy it, you can implement any disciplinary measures put in place by your company.

Assuming you are a manager, you have that right to enforce the Dress Code. If you are an employee and you take offense to this person's choice of clothing, let your manager know IN WRITING.

Either way DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. (dates, witnesses, etc).

PS If you are a male manager, make sure you have a female co-worker present at all times when dealing with the "offender".

Answer 8

If they cannot see the thong, then what's the problem? If they have that in the dress code, then they need to change the code. If the thong can be seen, then the person needs to learn how to dress better. So, depends on situation. I don't think a dress code should apply to a person's undergarments.

Answer 9

How can you see it? That's the question. If the employee is wearing see through clothes or pants that do not cover the underwear, then you can tell them that they are not dressing professionally.

Answer 10

well, if it violates the company's dress code, then it wont be. But make sure it is justifiable. Was it because the employee is wearing low rise jeans that it peeks through when they sit down?