Am I over reacting or is my boss inappropriate

[notyourbaby]

My boss calls me and all the other young girls who work here 'baby' or 'gorgeous' and it makes my skin crawl. It's just really unprofessional and makes me uncomfortable. I have asked him not to call me these on many occasions but he does not stop. We are a small business with no proper HR, the woman who does HR here is his fiancé and she just laughs it off and says it's how he talks to everyone.

Everyone else seems okay with it, if I mention it they laugh and say "yeah it's gross isn't it" but evidently no one cares as much as me. It's gotten to the point I avoid my boss because the second he calls me baby or gorgeous I just get so grossed out I don't want to be around him. He will also just ask weird questions about my partner and relationship and when I say I don't feel comfortable answering he'll just whisper "loosen up baby"

It's making me want to quit. I love my job and everyone else here I just don't like being around him, am I over reacting? What can I do?

"A real HR function is a must when I'm looking for a job."

You refuse to work for SMEs then? Quite life limiting I think.
I hate aircon and I'd quite like to be in a position to refuse to work for big companies.

He's showing you a lack of respect. It's sexist. He wouldn't talk to male employees like that.

Loosen up baby

Does he think he's in a Jackie Collins novel

My husbands boss calls all the men baby boy or baby booboo.

Yeah creepy, sexist and inappropriate. Does he do this to customers / clients as well? I'd look for a new job.

Does he have a name for the men?

"Loosen up baby"?

That would be a dealbreaker for me. Find a new place to work, or write a no-nonsense email to the HR lady.

Men are called by their names, the woman/girls are baby or gorgeous if they are slim and young, if not those things they are called by their names. He just makes my skin crawl.

I really dislike those names, and wouldn't even let my DH address me by them. I doubt I would fall into the category of woman your boss wanted to use them with, but the whole thing would annoy me deeply.

What I did about it would really depend on how much I enjoyed my job, and how well I got on with my other colleagues.

Find as many posters , leaflets, signs, books etc about sexually harassment both from the person who is been harassed and form the management point of view and what should be done.
The more they say things like your legal rights what can be done legally about this issue the better

If he asks you about your partner again then tell him you will ask Dp if he could come up sometime to answer all these questions which obviously are important as they're completely fucking irrelevant to do with your job.

Go on ebay, there are inexpensive mini secret cameras disguised as pens, buttons,things which will not be obvious, record him secretly as you are going to need to build some evidence especially as everybody else seems fine with it. Unfortunately you will come across complete arse holes in life and I'm not saying just deal with it or accept it but a good tactic in dealing with it is to reply with something that makes him look like a complete dickhead, take the piss out of him laugh at him, his ego won't allow him to take it and he will leave you alone.
Different types of men and situations need different actions.
The type of man he is will normally realise his ego will get bruised, its not worth it there's a room full of other women who won't.

If the company you work for does any business with the public sector they would probably not wish to deal with a firm that does not against sexual harassment.

Even if it was not gender based, you want to be called by your name and that should be how you are dealt with by your manager. It offends you what he does and it should cease.

HR are obviously there to protect the business not the workers, my point above is that you should make his fiancé aware that this could be bad for the business if anyone does raise it and that it is making the leader seem like an out of date joke.

What sector is this? Is he speaking to you this way in front of the public?

What about if you reply “yes, Mr Weinstein” next time he does it?

Call ACAS. They will offer to call him and speak to him about it. It is unlawful and if he continues he may well have to defend a claim against him for it. That is both expensive and embarrassing. Hearing it from a third party (ACAS) will make that real for him.