I had an argument with work mates about saying 'your hair looks nice out' to a work mate. Now I told my girlfriend, thinking she would see why everyone over reacted and she is annoyed also that I made the comment. Was it an appropriate comment, since there was no flirting on my behalf?
2007-10-31 13:14:20 · 15 answers · asked by Gord 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Unfortunately we live in a "sue happy" world.
It used to be acceptable to give compliments to co-workers/work mates and never think twice about it.
Now a days you have to look out because if you give a compliment to a person and they do not like that you gave them the compliment, that person can then charge you with harassment.
Pretty sad world that we live in now.
I personally have no problem with the fact that you gave a compliment on this person's hair but if that person did not like you giving her a compliment then she could file a harassment complaint.
Good Luck!
2007-10-31 14:53:25 · answer #1 · answered by EMT-207 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure flirting was the issue here. It might have come off like you were telling your co-worker how she should wear her hair. You probably would have gotten away with a simple, "Oh, your hair looks nice," the same way you might say "nice watch" to one of the guys. The way you said it, it might have sounded like "You should wear your hair down more often," which is presumptuous.
2007-10-31 20:30:01 · answer #2 · answered by Heidi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree in it's all in how it is being said..........'nice hair today ' ..is something that can be said to a man or woman.
People do seem to react overly to things these days and want to make something out of nothing.
Best to compliment someone , short and sweet and innocuous and keep yourself safe. Painful but seems to be what is asked of us all today and you did ask in the ettiquete section :)
2007-11-03 23:56:14 · answer #3 · answered by sandiemay01 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, your comment was inappropriate. I think your thoughtfulness is nice, but your opinions about a coworker's hair or anything else personal about them are not something that should be talked about at work.
2007-10-31 20:21:20 · answer #4 · answered by No Shortage 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the circumstance. If one of your close co-workers cut her very long hair to a short style, you'd probably want to say, "you're hair looks very nice" without some pervy leer. It acknowledges a fairly dramatic change without being gross.
2007-10-31 20:56:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's fine. People do overreact as someone mentioned before.
Is the woman attractive?
If yes, maybe the fact that she's attractive is what causes everyone to assume you're flirting.
People can read into things too much though.
Compliments are nice.
2007-10-31 20:27:05 · answer #6 · answered by Chris H 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There is such freedom in allowing ourselves to simply be who we really are. Listening to our gut ,with no underlying intention and acting on it is living honestly. The more we do it the more we realize it is the only way to live. We worry less about judgement of others or ourselves. It breeds confidence and respect.
take care
2007-10-31 20:25:12 · answer #7 · answered by Beme 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, it is best to say nothing about womens appearance, not touch them ( like pat on the back) and protect yourself from harrassment charges which are all too commonly filed against perfectly innocent gentlemen.
2007-10-31 21:38:17 · answer #8 · answered by barthebear 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As long as you are not flirting, I think it is okay. It is nice to receive a compliment at work.
2007-10-31 20:20:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Complements are fine, people just like to make something out of nothing.
2007-10-31 21:43:14 · answer #10 · answered by Jai 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋