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.

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest

I think she made a bit of a fool of herself. No comment on the content of the talk or relevant questions but a teenage flounce. He will not treat her as a potential timebomb and no manager wants that.

A woman cannot get away with this, - but others can in these joyous days of 'inclusivity' and lawsuits.

Wouldn't bother me, I (and my colleagues) use it all the time and we are all women....

Some people just try really hard to be offended by everything

I agree with this.

I can't say I'm not offended...

Wouldn't offend me in the slightest.
I remember once asking a group of women to stop talking in a meeting. I said the word ladies and they took offence to this. Not sure what the alternative was, I could have used girls but in my mind that would have been insulting calling friends women girls
Sometimes you can't win. 🤷‍♀️

and again: everyone saying "oh i don't mind" and "stop being offended" can bite me.

I mind and to me, that's what counts. I have always worked in male dominated environments and on occasion have had to fight to get a toilet allocated for my use (not just for me, I'm not greedy - but just one that had a bin for the disposal of tampons etc) and that one went "oh, we always think you're one of us" until it came to tea making or cake bringing or birthday card organising or the billion other "wifework" jobs they wanted me to do (that i didn't until everyone else had) and promotion where i had seniority, experience and qualifications far above someone being promoted over my head. Then, amazingly, i was a baby-making-machine-in-waiting.

So no. I'm not a guy. I'm a woman, I'm a part of the "team" or the "gang" or whatever. But I'm not a bloody guy.

And for all the young women who have it a tad easier in their working lives because of all the women who pushed back against shit like this - you're welcome.

(and yes, OTT but maybe you'll understand the reaction to being called a man that some people have when you read this and countless other stories like this)

But she still handled it like a twat.

** calling grown women girls
Sorry typo in my message

I'm fine with 'guys' but it's interesting that as a plural it means all genders. But in singular it doesn't, or at least I wouldn't be impressed if someone referred to me as a guy individually.

But I do think that it is interesting how it's ok to refer to a mixed group with traditional masculine words, but feminine words is almost an insult.

She sounds like the kind of person who just has to have something to complain about .. or perhaps she has something against the man running the meeting and that was the only thing she could find to moan about.

I have always worked in make dominated industries too and it bothers me not one jot.

I remember the MDs secretary getting sent home to change because she had the audacity to wear trousers to work, being talked down to at events 'actually I am the manager, so check your own coat thanks...', being talked over in the office to a male 'I have no Idea - ask Paws shes the boss...'

'Girls' irritates me - but then I've been senior enough for long enough to tell people to 'piss off' or refer to them as 'boys' or 'the weans'.

It quite surprised me that Hollister, aimed at teens, uses the word guys as opposed to girls for their clothing if it's now such a gender-neutral word in younger age groups.

I'm not offended by it , but I don't like being addressed as "guys"

(Ancient BTW)

I like it, but I grew up with it as a collective noun for a group of people.
I’m also perfectly comfortable with Dude. It’s handy for men, women, children and badly behaved hens.
“Dude. The lettuce patch? Not cool”

I say guys at work all the time!

But 'guys' in the plural does not invariably mean all genders both sexes, that's at least part of the problem, as well as the use of a masculine term as the default.
If a man says he is going out with the guys it almost always means his male friends. Ditto a 'guys' night out' -- no women here please!

Dude?? You're having a laugh, i suspect.
Our hens are most definitely female, given that they lay eggs (i.e large gametes) and are always referred to as such.
We got rid of the cock ages ago. Best decision ever, they're much happier...

I once heard someone say to two women , "are you guys sisters?"

But that was in LA - so not the real world.

What @Brefugee said

I use the term 'guys' quite often. I mean the group of people I am addressing, nothing to do with male or female.

I do think your colleague could have had more tact though. Not sure it was a wise course of action to dress down a new manager in public in the way she did, surely a quiet word would have been kinder and still got her point across effectively.

@DrSheldonCooperPHD I like the sound of your new manager doing 1:1s for interviews. It was the first thing my DH did when he took a manager position at a new place so he could get to know his team.

The woman sounds like she just doesn't want things to change. Is she worried she'll be pulled up for things? Maybe that it means others will get ahead of her? Or is she usually difficult?

A good manager won't let one person discourage them. He will see the benefit of the 1:1 now and on a regular basis (DH does them quarterly to every four months with his small team) to make sure there's growth and development.

And as for "guys" I find it very hard to get annoyed or offended at it. I use it all the time in a mixed group. "Everyone" has more syllables and "team" sounds cheesy to me.

I use guys a lot in lessons as a teacher, we have been asked not to use guys by head but it is a really hard habit to break!

This is all I hear when someone says guys 😂

"team" sounds cheesy to me.

This is what I think of when I hear management using 'team':

I work for a well known public transport organisation: No Ladies and Gentlemen, Sir or Madam allowed. That annoys me. But once a manager addressed a group email as Dear Guys and Gals and I fucking hated him for it. I find it utterly patronising and irritating to both sexes. Hello Everyone would suffice!