Strange interaction at work and no one else sees the issue?

I think others are overreacting. For one, it doesn't seem like sexual harassment- it sounds like it didn't come across in this way.? It's just sounds a bit odd and like an over confidant joke. Humans are odd and irrational a lot of the time I would ask whether it is a pattern or just a one off. If there is a pattern then maybe something to discuss with him. Is his work ok?

So, man who behaves unprofessionally in the office on Friday, also behaves inappropriately on following Monday.

As a pp said he probably was feeling awkward and trying to take the edge off with humour. But it failed and was even more inappropriate than what he was there for.

Document every single bit of this and be ready to refer to HR if ANYTHING like this happens again ! . Your manager is skating on thin ice if he/she hasn’t taken action on your report . Is it a small firm ? Is it possible you can insist on another manager with you for future interviews ?

I'm afraid, just like OneTealMentor, you've misunderstood what DramaLlamacchiato posted, which was "Harassment related to sex. Not acceptable." They meant "sex" as in the protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, as this employee treated OP differently because she's a woman - there's no way he'd have pulled that stunt if his manager had been male. DramaLlamacchiato did not mean they thought the idiot employee was inviting his female manager to have sex with him.

I know right, its baffling the lack of basic biology knowledge on here - he wasn't suggesting that OP fucks him from behind as he's bent over a table 🙄

How old is he? Specifically, is he old enough to have been at school when corporal punishment was still in use? Strange behaviour, in any case.

Completely inappropriate . I’d have left and reported to HR

I wouldn’t be happy either. Sounds like he was nervous/trying to minimise it. Isn’t it exhausting managing people? I wish they would just crack on with their jobs & leave all this behaviour at home.

I'm thankful your working days are over too. It's staggering that you can't see how inappropriate, juvenile and disrespectful this employee's behaviour was.

You've answered your own question - because OP was "unsettled" - she said she "found it awkward" so he achieved his aim of putting her on the back foot. We'd all like to believe we'd be cool, calm and collected in such a situation and deal with it assertively, but it isn't always that easy in the moment when someone's behaviour is unexpected and a little shocking.
And this only happened today so where do you get the idea that she's telling HR "two days later"? She can report this tomorrow if she has a mind to.

He sounds completely bloody deranged

Oh thank goodness, I thought I was the only one who thought it a complete non issue. I would have laughed and not given it a second thought.

I am so thankful my working days are now over if this is how people react to such a silly thing. No wonder the world is becoming such a dull and depressing place.

Totally inappropriate, for about a million and one reasons. You are his manager and it was a meeting about his conduct, ffs. He was disrespectful and creepy. Nobody should be bending over a desk and taking off their belt to joke about being spanked at work, FFS, and certainly not a bloke alone in a room with a female colleague. This man is gross.

Your DP is also a complete twat if he thinks that kind of thing is all just hilarious office banter.

Why couldn't OP give him a telling off right there and then. Why do very little then tell her manager, why tell HR two days later?

At best it was an inappropriate joke at worst a sexualized power play to unsettle his manager. The only way to deal with that is to confront it head on there and then.

That behaviour very successfully showed what this dickhead thinks of your management and superior position. I would report him to HR. There is no way he would have done this if his manager was a man. Misogynistic prick.

Sounds sexual to me frankly. Starting/miming/pretending to remove his belt in your presence is sexual harassment - it being part of a 'joke' about you spanking him doesn't negate that.

Don't beat yourself up for not having dealt with it there and then - lots of us would have felt too embarrassed/uncomfortable in the moment and just would have pressed on. I'd like to think I'd have walked out and said we will reschedule this once you're willing to behave appropriately - but the urge to be polite and minimise is very strong.

In your shoes, I would formally report this to HR. I'm not sure what stage of the disciplinary you are at, but I would also say that due to this new issue you are reporting you are no longer able to take part in the disciplinary for the staff member - there's now a conflict due to you needing to report sexual harassment that occured during the disciplinary hearing. This will likely mean his investigation for the initial offence will need to start again, alongside his new investigation for sexual harassment. Not a good look for him is it.

He was totally inappropriate.

@user1492757084 No-one has said his behaviour was "sexual". They've said his behaviour was "Harassment related to sex" (referring to sex being a protected characteristic where his manager's sex is female). But thank you for confirming my previous post. 🙄

I don't find his behaviour sexual and yes I do think he would have pretended to want the strap (like when naughty in olden day school) if you were a man. Men normally administered the strap.

It was inappropriate because he made light of his earlier behaviour. It was possibly disrespectful to the work place review and reprimand procedure. Though he was definitely admitting fault. I would have started there...

"So, you admit you were at fault some what. Explain your understanding of what happened yesterday, please."

You felt uncomfortable - possibly due to you not coming from a generation where the strap was common place in school.
I would laugh it off, as your DP did. If you want worker to apoligise for trivialising the matter and process, talk to your manager.

Sadly, I can. There's always one or two who crawl out of the 1970s to add their two penneth worth. 🙄

Now that's a much funnier joke! 👏

Utter nonsense (I didn't say it was "sexual") and entirely irrelevant - who cares if he was "embarrassed"? He's supposed to be an adult. He should be capable of having a serious conversation with his manager (regardless of their sex) about what happened on Friday. His behaviour was childish, inappropriate and disrespectful to his manager, OP, and he deserves to be disciplined for it.

All of this.

I can't believe there are people actually defending him

Wow, men can’t even act out a sexual spanking joke in a disciplinary meeting without it being a problem. Fragile times we live in.

Wow, men can’t even act out a sexual spanking joke in a disciplinary meeting without it being a problem. Fragile times we live in.