Work Etiquette Question

[SadieKate]

Does your HR have anything? Like you said, if you wouldn't use "my office boy" then you shouldn't use "my office girl". What about: "My admin assistant"? Heck, I'd even settle for "my secretary".

Since no one reports to her she shouldn't even be saying "my" anything. The much older male person who holds the same position as she manages to refer to the rest of us as "our project manager" or "our contracts manager", etc.

As an outsider, it indicates lack of professional courtesy for her colleagues to refer to them in such a manner. It sounds like she wants to make a point that she's on a higher rung of the ladder, by stomping on the heads of those "below" her. Obviously she hasn't learned that to keep things running smoothly the golden rule - "Thou shalt not make an enemy of thine Administrative Assistant."

You are soooo perceptive! She's pretty much making enemies of everyone in the company but we seem to have another standard of behavior for our sales staff.

[Biciclista]

According to my company's guidelines on the subject, this is insensitive but not considered harassment or illegal and someone (you?) might tell her how bad it sounds.

[Mr. Bloom]

I find this often occurs with women I deal with. I find that often I am the one pointing out that they are "women". I also find that these same female managers tend to have higher employee turnover rates

Neither I nor my company would culturally tolerate this.