There is no Men s Caucus in the House. Dresses should be no longer than four inches above the knee, and Pages will receive additional merit pay for economizing and saving valuable materials used in blouse construction. It s totally inappropriate and, frankly, stupid, said Kathleen Hessert, president of Communication Concepts, a crisis-control consultancy in Charlotte. Hessert said the memo is especially distressing given the litigious nature of the workplace today especially the harassment lawsuits that have been lost and fallout over the affair between former President Bill Clinton and intern Monica Lewinsky. If this were a company, a reprimand should be issued to those involved, and clarification of the company s policy on sexual harassment should be made to all employees, Hessert said.
Sexual harassment can cost corporations huge sums of money.
If notes similar to the Men s Caucus memo had circulated in a business, its female employees would have a legitimate complaint that they were being belittled and demeaned, in that their work was not appreciated and their right to be there is not accepted, Burnette said. Corrective action is definitely in order, said Columbia attorney Tom Turnipseed. It sounds like these guys have been to too many strip clubs, he said. These are the daughters of some of their constituents and it s not a good example from a body that makes laws about discrimination. Staff writer Valerie Bauerlein contributed to this report.