Gayle Laakmann McDowell Any sort of sexual advance from someone in the management chain should certainly be forbidden. But he wasn’t. He was the manager of another intern. Do you think all advances from people in higher “strata” of the company should be forbidden, even if they’re not in the same management chain? Melinda Gates was obviously in Bill Gates’ management chain when they got married. Do you think that relationship shouldn’t have happened? How did it begin without a sexual advance? I’m using “sexual advance” broadly here, to include asking someone out on a date, or stating compliments, as the man in Aimee’s story did.

If she was clear that she didn’t want him to be around her, or that she didn’t like the compliment, then it would certainly be harassment for him to continue. But she didn’t do that. She said she laughed along. If he was “following her around” while it was clear she was trying to get away, then yes, again, clear harassment. But it’s pretty clear from the story that she wasn’t, since she said at the time she found it “hilarious”, and made no mention of being uncomfortable, or expressing discomfort.

This 30 year old man certainly expressed poor judgment going to drink with a bunch of 20 year old interns, but I don’t see how you can call his behavior “harassment” unless you were to ban all relationships among coworkers.