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16 Worcester Business Journal | February 17, 2020 | wbjournal.com F O C U S W O M E N I N L E A D E R S H I P A big help to small businesses. Open your Entrepreneur Checking Account today! Simple. Convenient. Easy to use. For more information, visit: baystatesavingsbank.com/entrepreneur_checking Julie Bowditch feared she would cost her nonprofit employer a donation if she rejected a donor's advances too harshly. Kristen Liberty is constantly told her appearance makes it seem as if she is less knowledgeable in her job. Continued from Page 15 become particularly precarious when incidents carry over to a third place, a term coined by American urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg to signify neutral environments outside of home or work. Codes of conduct in third places, including social media, oen prove ambiguous. "e workplace has become much more casual: Open workspaces, casual dress codes, lounge areas, social media, and social events have made the workplace an extension of our personal lives," said Jansky. "While the majority of workers still understand the basics of decorum, civility, and professionalism, there are some who have a hard time making that distinction and feel emboldened to make inappropriate jokes or comments, gestures, advances, and sometimes touching or speaking in a way that they might with friends at a bar, or hanging out at home." "You're too pretty for that." Kristen Liberty works in commercial insurance, interacting with trucking companies, construction contractors, and carpenters. She is still surprised by the frequency with which clients say she "can't possibly know about trucks or tools because she is too pretty for that." "It becomes frustrating to always sec- ond guess what you've trained yourself on for years, because you're asked, 'Are you sure? Do you want to double check with the boss?'" Liberty said. Nancy Leong would define this cli- ent-provider relationship as an institu- tional power disparity. "When a workplace is also a for-profit business, sexual behavior involving insti- tutional power disparities can affect one aspect of the institution's mission: e business's profits." Leong writes in her 2019 Washington University Law Review article, "em Too." She notes sexual behaviors – consen- sual or not – are inevitably harmful to third parties in the workplace. Liberty has learned to put her foot down when customers are distracted by her appearance. She no longer hesitates to tell them, "I've seen this a million times, and I am confident in my work." "I'm not going to stand. I'm going to leave." Erica Ayisi is an international journal- ist who got her start at Worcester News Tonight/Charter TV3. Ayisi has learned to advocate for herself when she is made to feel uncomfortable. "Working as a journalist in Ghana, a manager told me to stand as punishment for being late to the newsroom, in front of the news team," she said. She refused to be put on display, announcing, "I'm not going to stand. I'm going to leave." Ayisi walked out of the room and resigned shortly thereaer. "When a man in power does something uncomfortable to you, do something in addition to saying something," she said. "You are not responsible for his actions and lack of emotional intelligence." Worcester Business Journal WBJ Worcester Business Journal Know Central Mass. Business Stay informed, engaged and connected with a print + digital subscription to the Worcester Business Journal. You'll receive bi-weekly issues, special publications and full online access. Subscribe online: wbjournal.com/subscribe, Or call: (508) 755-8004