Sex in Business, Its Uses and Abuses

There are many who may argue that sex has no place in a series of articles on business. This is a narrow point of view and one that will get little sympathy from the author.

To the businessman, his job and his company must be everything, and to them he must be prepared to dedicate himself without reservation. The man who holds back, who, for selfish reasons, fails to give all of himself, will soon be unmasked.

This duty you owe not only with your brain, but in many cases with your body as well.

Be a ray of sunshine

More often than not you will find that the Old Man has for a secretary an aging maiden who has been with him for thirty years. She will be battered, moist, harrassed, and often called Jonesy.

It is safe to assume that if the Old Man ever had a romantic interest in her it has long since passed. He keeps her now because she is efficient and always remembers when it is time for his pills.

It will be your duty to bring sunshine into her life.

In fact, no sacrifice you can make for her is too great, though happily the Supreme Sacrifice is seldom necessary. It will usually be enough to buy a slightly wilted and almost pitiful handful of flowers from a street vendor. Take them to her with a boyish smile.

"Uh, Jonesy, I know these aren't much, but –"

"How nice, Pierrepont!"

"They just seemed to match your eyes, and well, they just cried out, 'These are for Jonesy!'"

You will have brought sunshine into a drab life, and though you may not have intended to, you may have opened new doors to the Old Man.

"Oh, Mr. Biggley, young Finch has been waiting so long to see you."

"Finch, who's he?"

"He's that sweet boy from Old Ivy – the one that works so hard. He's a great admirer of yours, Mr. Biggley."

Others may try this approach, too. It is well to be on your guard.

"If it weren't for you and Jimmy Watson, Pierrepont, I'd just go for days without flowers."

"Nice fellow, Watson. Just can't figure his taste in women. What does he see in that redheaded kid in General Files–the one in the white sweaters?"

Your rival may have a nasty surprise the next time he wants an audience!

"Anyone else to see me, Jonesy?"

"The Watson boy was waiting awhile."

"Watson, Watson?"

"He's that rather brash boy with the smirk. Somehow I don't think (concluded on page 53) Sex in Business(continued from page 25) he respects you, Mr. Biggley. I told him you were very busy."

Keep posted

Your next personal sacrifice will come shortly later in your career. At this time you will have your own secretary and presumably your most dangerous rival will have one, too. It is your rival's secretary working as she does in the gloomy shadow of an unpleasant man, who needs a comforting and a cheering word. Give it to her. She will appreciate it.

"Oh, Mr. Finch, you do the cutest things!"

"You're a pretty cute thing yourself! What was that you started to say about Watson's memo to Mr. Biggley?"

"It wasn't anything really, only one paragraph about you. I'll get you a carbon of it tomorrow morning at the office."

Be generous

Soon you will have reached a position where you can adopt a completely selfless attitude. It will then be your duty to go about doing the best you can in your modest way to raise morale, to gain understanding of the employees' problems, and to make it clear that the management has a personal and deep-seated interest in the lowliest typist or file clerk.

Some men even go farther, seeing to it that suitable girls are brought in, ones that will profit best by a helping hand and a friendly word.

In scores of progressive companies this personal and intimate approach is showing good results, and in many cases has taken the place of the old Suggestion Box.

Remember the woman's angle

The forward-looking businessman must also be aware that women are playing an ever-increasing role in our economy. Few products are not bought primarily by women, and the executive who does not understand her point of view is courting disaster.

It is for this reason that many of today's business leaders range far afield, even beyond their own employees, into the myriad homes of America.

Their harvest is a rich one indeed. How often will their true purposes be misunderstood!

For none of these personal sacrifices can the businessman expect public recognition or open reward. Day by day, night by night, he must go on, anonymous, selfless, unsung.

It would be well if all of us would doff our hats for a moment in tribute to those who have made their mute sacrifices. The annuals of modern business would be full indeed if only their stories could be told.