SEX IN THE OFFICE: Power and Passion in the Workplace

by Patrice C. & Jack D. Horn Horn ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 28, 1982

Despite the steamy title, a go-nowhere sort of study. The Horns--of Self and Psychology Today, respectively--think that equal opportunity makes the workplace potentially more exciting for all, not only professionally but sexually. The possibilities extend from flirting and flings through full-blown affairs (simple, when neither party is married, or variously complex), as well as marriage proposals. True, there are pitfalls in fooling around, especially for women; but since those who get ahead may be accused of sleeping their way to the top anyhow, why not relax and enjoy it. Still, if using sex to gain power is OK (per the woman who slept with a v.p. to establish West Coast contacts), not so using power to get sex, as in sexual harassment. Even on this topic, however, the Horns' discussion is thin: the text of EEOC guidelines, a few court cases establishing the fights of women even when they can't prove tangible harm, a discussion of how much easier harassment is to prove when a supervisor, not an equal, is involved. (They do sensibly advise, in an actual case, putting your accusations and demands in writing to prove that you tried to resolve the dispute without dragging in outside agencies.) Mostly, though, they stick close to inanities--like, incessantly, what makes offices so sexually-charged (""The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat""). Overheated and overblown.

Pub Date: June 28, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION