Sexual tension will always exist in the workplace. Affairs happen, and where there’s even the possibility of sex, there’s gossip.
Sex — or the specter of it — haunts sponsorship, prompting men and women to avoid the professional partnerships necessary to achieve their career goals for fear of being censured, fired, or sued. My research shows that 64% of senior men (vice president and above) and 50% of up-and-coming women admit they’re hesitant to initiate any sort of one-on-one with each other lest their motives be misconstrued by their colleagues and rumors start poisoning the workplace. When affairs — or even the perception of one — are present, 70% of women surveyed say the junior female disproportionately bears the brunt, and 53% of male respondents agree.
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To read the original article: As a Leader, Create a Culture of Sponsorship - Sylvia Ann Hewlett - Harvard Business Review
