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.

Absolutely binterested

I’m the only man in my team, we all say guys when referring to a few/all of us, it seems silly to say ladies and gent etc.

Cunt is 'worse'. Why's that?

It's a harder sounding word. More plosive.

'Prick' on the other hand has a K in it and, as Neil Simon pointed out in The Sunshine Boys, "words with a K in it are funny..."

Late to the discussion. I really dislike "guys" being used for a mixed- sex group. I would not have flounced out but would mentally mark the person who said "guys" as a tries too hard prat.

At the end he said something along the lines of 'thanks guys, great meeting'

He could have said, "thanks, every one" or "thanks all" or just "thanks team" or even just "thanks".

Prat.

It's a harder sounding word.

Bullshit. Cock isn't as bad and just as hard.

I use it & see it as an informal term for a group, mixed sex or not. What do people use instead?

Oh the irony. Depending on context and personal inclination: people, everyone, all, folks, colleagues, coworkers, stake holders, they, them, or by job title, e.g. managers, analysts, operators.

It would annoy me too. I’m not, and never have been, a guy. I wouldn’t drama-llama about it though.

Cock isn't as bad and just as hard

😳

She sounds like a dick. Oh sorry, I mean a vagina.

Guys to me has become a word for "people" now. I would never be offended by this but can see maybe why some might be.

The use of 'guys' for mixed sex group has pissed me off for ages. I've never met anyone else who agrees with me though! As part of the same 'men as default' idea I also speak French and that is similarly sexist. A group of all women is 'elles' but as soon as there is just one man in the mix, never mind if it's just one man in a stadium full of women, then it's immediately 'ils'.

And as for thinking that it is a small, insignificant thing, I actually think it's the opposite. Men as default is such the norm that we can't even see it, it's all-encompassing, and this is just a tiny leaf of one of the trees in the wood that shows us that the wood does indeed exist.

Oh the irony. Depending on context and personal inclination: people, everyone, all, folks, colleagues, coworkers, stake holders, they, them, or by job title, e.g. managers, analysts, operators.

I don't think I'm weird to walk into my office today & not say to the 4 women & 1 man "hey colleagues", or when I leave "see you later stakeholders, & "have a great weekend coworkers". I'm not going to address every single one by the name or job title. I don't use team or folk because I actually work there & am not delivering a mindfulness workshop. Plus we are not a team we just sit in the same space.

Thinking about it I do sometimes say everyone.

I use guys to just casually mean a group of people of whatever sex and wouldn't be offended at being in a group of 'guys'. I hope I've never casually offended anyone!

Bullshit. Cock isn't as bad and just as hard.

Yeah but 'Cock' has a K in it too...

they can, but no one has to actually care that someone has decided to be offended.

interesting replies. But repeated use of the word "offended" (and the implication is that it is a trivial thing that we shouldn't get offended about because that's an overreaction and people have it much worse elsewhere etc etc) is interesting.

Not so much that "a bit pissed off" gets translated to "offended" but that people are very gleefully happy about continuing to use the word that "offends" people. Having fun pissing people off. Nice. When, actually you could use an inclusive word that nobody objects to.

But don't worry. Women will continue to complain about being erased like this.

It's a bit annoying as a term but I have used it as a generalisation for a mixed sex bunch of children. I squirmed inwardly but it seemed like the best term to address the group informally.
With me was a single mum of mixed sex twins who, henceforth, started using it to get them moving in any situation.
I've heard more annoying things. Like fucking rising fucking into-fucking-nation used by people who aren't Australian.

don't think I'm weird to walk into my office today & not say to the 4 women & 1 man "hey colleagues", or when I leave "see you later stakeholders, & "have a great weekend coworkers". I'm not going to address every single one by the name or job title. I don't use team or folk because I actually work there & am not delivering a mindfulness workshop. Plus we are not a team we just sit in the same space.

But adding anything is unnecessary. I will say "good morning" to the group of people on my pod in the open plan office. It doesn't need "guys" added.

If I'm addressing a large group meeting I will say "good morning/ afternoon/ welcome" - doesn't need "guys" or anything else added.

As for being "offended" - guys doesn't offend me. I simply don't like it and I think people who use it are prats.

I don't think I'm weird to walk into my office today & not say to the 4 women & 1 man "hey colleagues"

I did say 'depending on context' and this morning when I walked into the office I said 'morning'.

If you say 'hey, collies' that might be amusing.

In the situation described by the OP, it wouldn't particularly bother me and I certainly wouldn't pick someone up on it in such a public way.

However, I was out to lunch with my DM and DF who are nearly 80 and a very young waiter kept referring to us as "guys", which for some reason did irritate me. Although, I accept it is now used in a unisex fashion, I did think it was slightly disrespectful.

I couldn’t get my non gender specific undergarments in a twist about it.

Guys, folks, chaps, lads... I use them all interchangeably to call the attention of or address a group of people - whether it be unisex or mixed sex.

I have never had a complaint. I tend not to take offence to words, but instead the context behind phrases.

For example, I don’t mind being called ‘a bird’ - but I’d take offence if the phrase was along the lines of ‘its because you’re a bird’ but the same would apply if bird was changed for girl/ woman / lassie / female.

Guys, folks, chaps, lads...

If you like mixing things up, why are none of them terms for women? Why not add ‘birds’ in there? If it’s fine for you to be called a bird, why not a group of men?