to think this is crass and shouldn't happen again.

[Fixthis]

At work we hold an annual conference for managers and assistant managers. So about 1,200 employees attend. It is the usual thing, updates about the company plan and sharing the good news stories and making people feel part of something bigger.

Each of the most senior business leaders have a slot and generally all try to make it fun or interesting. For example one sets theirs up like a talk show. Each year a certain one of them choses to come on to stage flanked by models in little clothing. Nothing else. They don't perform or even talk that just stand either side of him and music plays as he comes in.

I instantly thought, eewww and why. To me the message is is giving to 1,200 employees is that women are there to look at and no more. Certainly that is the only roll thoes particular women have.

To be clear, we don't work in an industry that is at all related to beauty/fashion/modelling.

It makes me feel really embarrassed to work for the company. The guy has since been promoted and there is speculation in the office if he will do the same this year or if his replacement to his old job will 'get the honour'.

I think is is pathetic and sends a terrible message. AIBU?

Sounds awful! In my view you are definitely not being unreasonable!

Oh my God! Is he David Brent?

I seem to be the only one at my site that thinks it is off.

It's fucking creepy.

I think he pictures himself as more Heffner than Brent.

FFS, that is SO inappropriate. What kind of absolute twat do you have to be to think that is in any way acceptable? It makes that man look like a fool.

He sounds like a dick, classy he is not.

Cringe at it all tbh, the models are sexist tacky and just pretty creepy, the talk show theme is cheesy. I feel sick thinking about it!

I know the point is the horrible objectification of the models but...

how inadequate must that man be? What's his issue that he thinks paying for women to stand near him is a good idea?

I am extremely surprised that no-one has pointed out the error of his ways to him before now. What a twat. What are HR's views on it?

I am shocked that the company allows this type of blatant fuckery. It doesn't bode well for how this organization values it's female employees.

God, I'd love to see the expression on our head of HR's face if this happened in our company. Way off - surprised this has been allowed happen tbh. Even more depressing is that someone with that lack of judgement has been promoted.

Do they use partially clothed woman in their ads?

I work for a very large corporation and we would never permit this, it would be career ending. In fact we bought a smaller company who used semi clad women in their ads and we stopped it immediately.

The fact they permit it, and senior execs do it says something deeply unpleasant about the company itself.

Wow. In this day and age, that's pretty much un-PC. It's almost what you would expect the likes of Donald Trump to do (in his pre-President days). I am amazed your HR department don't have a word and explain it's frowned on these days.

Ewww. YANBU. I am amazed that this is tolerated, and I suspect that the overall attitude towards women in the company will not be great either, if the culture allows that. Are you sure you're the only one with a problem with it? I would bet that there are others who find it creepy, but don't feel confident enough to speak up: It takes bravery to be "that person" and speak out against what the majority see as "fun".

To be fair the whole thing sounds like tasteless torture. Can you just not go?

That is weird, creepy and crass, and makes the guy (and the company) look like absolute embarrassing dicks. YANBU in hating it.

I work for one of these global corporations and ... ewww!!! ... not normal or acceptable!!!

Seeing as you're a larger firm: do you have a woman's network? Published policies on gender equality?

If this were my firm, I'd approach a sympathetic member of the leadership and point out how this violates some 2k policies and works against our strategic diversity goals. If I were less senior than I currently am, I might try a sympathetic, well networked manager instead.

I bet he has a tiny penis.

Sure I can just not go but it isn't jsut about me. He is making this choice statement in front of the next few levels of managers. Not a very good example to set.

I can't really understand how it made it past all the other people how help out on the event.

The question is should I try to bring it up with someone? What would you all do?

No way ! Report it OP

Do you have a staff and equal opportunities policy you can refer to

David Brent indeed

Bluntness100 not to my knowledge but I don't tend to pay much attention to I ads.

I would try and bring it up with someone. Not sure who but obviously someone senior to him. That's very sexist behaviour imo and very old-fashioned too.

The 70's called. They want the daft bugger back ASAP

Surely that's not even permitted in a workplace under employment equality law? Can you complain to HR?