Brendon Smith and Dustin James are stars of the Oz Bank trading floor. Both are major profit generators for \(\mathrm{Oz}\) Bank. As a result, their sometimes over-the-top behaviour is ignored or attracts only a mild rebuke from management. Popular with their co-workers, the two are extremely hardworking and highly capable (if somewhat over exuberant).

Brendon and Dustin, unbeknown to their colleagues (and management), have devised a rating system that classifies all the female members on the trading floor. Each female trader is graded according to several factors including facial attractiveness, sex appeal and given an overall 'hotness' rating.

A technical glitch, however, causes the 'ratings file' to be sent to Cheryl Li, also a top trader who like Brendon and Dustin is a major profit generator for Oz Bank.

Cheryl, an assertive and very independent person, smiles as she presses the send button, forwarding copies of her hotness ratings to everyone on the trading floor.

Oz Bank prides itself as an equal opportunity employer and its progressive policies regarding the employment of women. Kim Donovan, vice-president of HR looks aghast at the 'Hotness Ratings' email communications. Leslie Schultz, the manager responsible for the trading floor asks, 'What on earth are we going to do about this?

DISCUSSION QUESTION

Is this just a case of harmless fun in the workplace or does it represent something more serious? If you were the HR manager, how would you handle the situation?