To not find 'guys' an offensive term?

[DrSheldonCooperPHD]

We have a new manager at work. Our team is 20 people (12 women and 8 men).

New manager held a mini informal meeting this morning, all very nice and very chatty. At the end he said something along the lines of 'thanks guys, great meeting' and one of the women in the team said 'excuse me? guys? That's extremely offensive to the majority of the team who are female!' And walked out of the meeting room.
The MD was also in the room and he and new manager left for another meeting shortly after so I've no idea what happened (if anything) after.

Would this offend you? It didn't even really register with me until she piped up. Everyone seemed very bemused by it all.

I use guys to mean everyone - even in an all female group.

Wouldnt bother me one bit.

Me too ⬆️

No, of course I wouldn't be offended.
It is a term that is in common use for a group of people of either sex.

I would be and also at the person who flounced out.

We say “guys” all the time at work. But then we also refer to each other as boys and girls.

But no, I wouldn’t be offended by being called “guys”, I find it more awkward when I’m the one female and the person speaking makes a conscious effort to say “and lady” or similar.

Some people just try really hard to be offended by everything

Jesus she’d hate me. I don’t just use guys but also lads, gents, ladies and jellyspoons.... she sounds like she probably has a rod up her backside

Offensive? No. Irritating? Yes.

I felt so bad for him, he's only been here 2 days and she did it in front of everyone.

YANBU. It wouldn't bother me at all as a woman.

I’d use guys quite happily for mixed group or all women group. Weird

YANBU, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest and I use it myself. I also don’t particularly care about the use of “ladies” as long as it’s a woman doing it, I probably would be irritated if it was a man. However, I do find the use of “women” (as in, “women, what do you want to do?”), which is quite common in feminist groups, odd and jarring. Not offensive, just not an elegant use of English. So I’m probably just a crap feminist.

I call people guys. Im female. Meh 🤷🏻‍♀️

Urgh what a fucking prim virtue signally perma-offence twat.

maybe help him feel a bit more at ease by reassuring him that no one else was offended. poor guy

I always thought ‘guys’ was a casual name for a group of people of any gender.

@richele4 I was planning to but wanted to make sure first it was just her being sensitive (for lack of better word) and not me being oblivious.

I don't use it, and I don't like its use for mixed groups - I'm old enough to remember when it had a purely male connotation. But I accept its usage has changed, and I wouldn't make a fuss about it.

Guys are male. I would have asked him not to refer to me as a “guy” but probably in private. It’s not necessary to make a scene.

I think it's an age think that you don't mind.Im older and know that just the way it is but it grates.

We're not allowed to address mixed sex groups as 'guys' at work for this reason (public sector), it's not a term I'd use anyway I find it a bit cringey/nineties/overtly American, like over use of cool. I had a manager once who said 'down with the kids' without a trace of irony, it's a less extreme version of that to me. However I don't feel offended if people use it to refer to a group I am part of.

I would probably spend my working day being pissed off if this offended me. Almost every time there's a general announcement to a group -whether a couple or a floor full -the gather together signal is "Guy! Guys!..."

I find 'everyone' works pretty well for these situations. 'This was very productive, thanks everyone'.

I certainly wouldn't be offended but I suppose if it is a room full of women it might sound odd to some.

But I call my women friends "the girls"...but I believe that's deeply offensive to some on MN, even though it's quite normal in my circles.

I don't look to be offended I suppose.

What was she trying to achieve by saying that? Was she trying to humiliate him?;Show him she's not going to be told what to do? Established her credentials in the hierarchy? There's usually a subtext to these kinds of incidents imo.