There is a difference between noticing and being distracted. I will notice an attractive, well endowed woman wearing a shirt that shows off her cleavage. I might even do a subtle double take. But it has never interfered with my ability to do my job. I am more than capable of thinking "nice" and then immediately carrying on with the business at hand.
The excuse is a little more understandable if we are talking about a teenage boy going through puberty. But an adult man? Grow the **** up.
I would typically agree. I've never seen anything so distracting in the workplace that I couldn't get my work done.
I should say for any length of time. I've had vendors come in for meetings who were obviously "dressed to sell it" and this was temporarily (seconds to a minute) distracting but not so much that it swayed my decision on who to purchase products from or to the point of not being able to get the meet and greet done and over with.
But I also know that not all people are wired the same and I don't fault people in general unless it gets truly annoying. Truly annoying example:
I worked at a office building for a port authority. Behind the office building (that we worked on the third floor of) was the Port's fire department.
About twice a week, in the AM, the firemen would jog around our building and some other selected path of the Port.
The third floor was comprised of mostly women and the majority of them would flock to one of the gigantic office windows and go gaga over these jogging firemen.
I thought at the time though this was a number of years ago, that a) this isn't very professional and b) if guys ogled a bunch of women outside like that there would likely be hell to pay.
People do not always act like adults and it isn't always a bad thing but sometimes it is unprofessional and distracting.
They should all be made to wear sacks, baggy ones, so you won't be distracted by curves or cleavage, with a veil to cover their faces in case an impure thought should sneak into your brain, the hussies!
And only with their husbands. The unmarried ones should not be able to leave their homes at all.
Yes, the way people are dressed can be distracting for people who are sexually attracted to them. However, that is not the object's responsibility; it is the subject's responsibility to control themselves.
Not completely true.
If your workplace has a dress code or even if you are following common sense, then you do not dress like an advertisement for Victoria's Secret at work. There is responsibility for everyone involved. A man should not be so lacking in self control that a pretty woman walking by makes him suddenly incompetent and a woman should dress professionally in a work place.
Outside of work, people can do what they want within the law.