Male workers scared to help female colleagues for fear of harassment lawsuits

Male employees are worried about aiding female colleagues in case their actions are misinterpreted, according to a new book.

The guide, written by Dr Kim Elsesser and entitled “Sex and the Office”, claims that women are missing out on opportunities to advance their career and bond with their co-workers because of the threat of sexual harassment.

This gender partition is stopping women from reaching more senior roles, with male executives being too scared to even hold one-to-one meetings for fear they could “slip up”.

Dr Elsesser explains: “They’re afraid that an offhand remark will be misinterpreted as sexual harassment or that their friendliness will be mistaken for romantic interest.” Having worked as a quantitative equities trader at Morgan Stanley, Dr Elsesser claims that she witnessed this “sex divide” happening during her career.