The new rule at NBC that is attempting to negate sexual harassment in the office environment are less about anti-sexual harassment than they are about just alienating people it seems. The first draft, which is what people are calling it thus far, is kind of fire from the hip kind of reaction to the storm of accusations that have been going around the nation since Weinstein was first accused, and this type of knee-jerk reaction is unfortunately what was to be expected eventually. Taking it to the level that NBC seems to want to however is something above and beyond what is needed to settle the issue, and not in a good way.
Basically the rules state that romantic relationships of any kind are going to be heavily frowned on and even discouraged in the workplace as of now. That might be a little harsh in how I’m phrasing it but that’s how I took the passage I’ve read about this new rule. Those that witness any touching, flirting, or anything intimate between a couple are to report to human resources what they’ve seen and then action will be taken. Am I missing something here or does this sound like NBC is starting to model itself after Hogwarts when Dolores Umbridge took over? No touching, no romantic relationships? Yeah, get real.
In any work setting there’s bound to be an attraction between two people eventually, but whether or not they act on it needs to be their choice, not the company’s. If there is an issue that needs to be dealt with then yes, snitching on someone about their inappropriate behavior is bound to stop it right then and there, but I almost guarantee that trying to do this to couples that are attempting to create a consensual relationship is going to backfire. And what about couples that happen to work in the same location? Will they have to watch how they interact or will there be a special amendment to the rule for this? I kind of doubt it at this time but I also doubt that a married couple or a couple still dating will take kindly to this rule.
The whole issue of sexual misconduct has been a very real problem for a while now but it has had some huge ramifications and NBC is making them loud and clear. It’s now frowned upon to even share a taxi either to or from work. That doesn’t seem to be feasible since beyond the reaches of the business people are not on company time and therefore can’t be subjected to the rules that they have to follow while in the workplace. If that were the case then a corporation could possibly dictate how people lived both outside and inside their reach, which would be highly unethical and downright irritating.
At this point this is all we really know about the new rule, but so far it’s been a doozy and it is in need of amending in a big way. NBC, wipe the paranoia out of your eyes and calm down.
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