Pictures at Work

Once sexual harassment was recognized as unlawful, some of the earliest cases involved workplaces that allowed the posting of so-called girlie pictures–on walls, lockers, bathroom doors, or in the knee-hole of a desk.  These pictures were from Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler.  Sometimes, there would be a pin-up calendar.  Although these pictures haven’t been completely abolished in every workplace, it’s rare to see one.  Now, if we have to deal with this sort of thing, it involves racy screensavers. 

If you asked most employment lawyers or human resources professionals about this, they would say don’t let people post them, use them, or whatever.  This could create a hostile work environment–or, at least, a claim of a hostile work environment.

But what about a picture from a fashion design magazine?  From the magazine or catalog of a hip clothier?  From Victoria’s Secret?  Or a fashion advertisement like this?

Still a problem?  What if someone just brings the magazine to work and shows it around the office?  Is it ok if a woman does it?  Not ok if a man does it?

We live in a crazy world in many respects.  It used to be that people (usually men) brought this stuff to work, because they didn’t want to leave it lying around the house.  One of the kids might see it.  Indeed, one of the challenges of young boys in the good ole days was trying to find dad’s stash of Playboys.  Now, all the boys have to do is wait by the mailbox for catalogs from Victoria’s Secret, Boston Proper, and Abercrombie & Fitch, not to mention the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.   Our homes are flooded with sexual magazines and catalogs every day, but they can’t be brought into the workplace.

While there’s something weird about this to me, in answer to the questions raised above, the safe thing is to prohibit men and women from bringing these things into the workplace–for any purpose.  In short, hostile homeplace ok; hostile workplace not ok.