I’ve got some regrets in the area of office sex parties, but on the whole I’ve always thought sleeping with co-workers was a bad idea (reinforced yet again by the Google foofaraw), so I’d pass like always.
I had the same reaction as Inigo Montoya. I didn’t know about Animal Kingdom. Can I play too?
No.
The work “me” is not the “at home” me. Anything that blurs that line is bad.
I aim at that space closer to “polite” and away from “friendly”.
Anything warmer than “polite” always ends up feeding conspiracy theories in the Office Politics. It’s just not worth the energy.
The only context in which I could see “office sex party” being something other than problematic would be if you work in an office for a company that produces porn. Who knows? Maybe they’d even film it & try to sell it… Or, these days, maybe they’d stream it.
I have seen two major sex-related scandals in my places of employment. One was 20+ men gathered together to watch VHS tapes of bestiality. The other was a woman who was acting completely inappropriately to just about anyone in the same room.
Knowing my workplace, the orgy would involve people stuffing themselves on casseroles, other covered dishes and baked goods they’d insist on bringing. “Alright everyone, time to strip naked.” “Wait, there’s still lots of brownies left.”
I’m not even going to consider the ick factor, as we’re running low on brain bleach. :eek:
I kinda get it. Think about what you see in movies and tv about cultures you aren’t directly familiar with. As absurd as it is to draw a conclusion that most middle eastern men are terrorists, that’s what we see. They see most western women as easy, and how they act in a movie or tv show, for their culture, they are.
Imagine yourself walking through a city in which all of the women are topless. Everything that we assume about women who appear topless in public would tend to present itself to the back of your mind, even though you know it is just normal in this place.
That’s what it’s like for a Saudi man walking around in a Western city. The sidewalk is a non-stop porn show. Soft porn, to be sure, but on any Summer day in the park a photograph of what he is seeing could get him arrested at home.
Well, except:
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Saudi men are used to being at home with their female relatives and servants uncovered—not topless or naked—without feeling like they’re in a porn movie.
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It’s not just Saudis. Pakistani and Indian men are used to seeing women around without covering.
Actually, no. While in-home practices of Saudi families vary widely, women usually wear the full gown at home. A buddy of mine turned a corner at home some years ago and ran into a swam of ladies who were sitting clothed (and I assume quietly) in the ladies’ living room. He reported it was not without its erotic effect. (That and pillows being flung at him.)
So it was a lesbian sex party?
d&r
I’ve occasionally had sexy coworkers, but not in my current job (well, maybe one, kinda), and I’m very happily married. Anyway, any office sex party here would almost certainly end in hurt feelings, recriminations, tears, self-loathing and lawsuits. So, no.
Which reminds me…
Q: Why don’t Southern belles like orgies?
A: Too many thank-you notes.
I’ve seen or heard of it happening at a couple of workplaces, and it was not a good idea for those involved. Keep work and play well separate.
In many Asian and eastern European countries there is a lot of sexual harassment that goes way beyond an alcohol-fueled office party, but that is another topic.
As for me, I work from home and am freelance, so an office party basically means me and the missus.
As for that guy that went to Paris, well, France is kinda different and you can debate exactly what the French national sport is, but AFAIK that kind of thing has rules of its own. I have never worked in France or for a French company, so I can’t say much about them, but some reports indicate that French offices are very political and fond of social scheming and speculation, it makes you you wonder how they ever manage to get any work done.
I work in a family business, so the answer is gonna have to be “no”. I’m not a George R.R. Martin character.
In my ‘office’? No. The whole plant? No. Include HQ downtown? Only in my head; I don’t see this happening in the real world.
“The Aristocrats!”
Regarding the NYC Housing Authority story, the term “sex parties” seems a bit sensationalist. A whistle blower reported that many supervisors drank on the job, and some had sex on the premises. (Presumably behind closed doors, but the story I read didn’t specify.) Not that that’s appropriate workplace behavior, but it’s not the term I would choose.
So to answer the question: Would I have sex in my workplace? Nah. That’s a good way to get fired, as those folks found out.
Would I accept an invitation from certain of my colleagues to join them for some carnal fun after hours and off-site? Hypothetically, and if I were single - sure, why not? I have nothing against either casual sex or hooking up with co-workers. I did my share of both back in the day.
Hmm - I have over 800 cow-orkers in this building alone. That’s going to have to be one helluva big bed.
There are like 4 hot women, 4 passable ones, and about 100 men of varying oldness or fatness.
So yes, I feel like those odds are close enough.
Well, as long as it doesn’t affect my performance review…
Hell, it might help it!