Rolling Stone Magazine: Banned at the Office

Rolling Stone was the outlaw music/counter culture publication of the late-'60s and early-'70s, but these days it's the best-known mainstream entertainment publication, which can even be found in the likes of school libraries. Yet, the HR Dept. at the corporation I work for is up in arms about a recent issue (cover photo on your left) that someone left in the lunch room. This is an email we got sent to us the other day. Names have been removed and replaced with XXX.

"Please refrain from placing periodicals in the lunchroom that display inappropriate content. This morning, XXX, Director of Management Training, brought a Rolling Stone magazine to my office that had been left in the lunchroom. The cover of this magazine displayed two naked women wearing only ammo belts and an ad on the inside displayed a naked man and woman shielded only by a guitar. Another section of the magazine featured an article on Iggy Pop, with pictures that portrayed Iggy giving someone the finger and another displaying Iggy's bare backside. This type of literature is not only offensive and inappropriate in the workplace but prohibited by our policy against harassment, including sexual harassment. This is not the first time literature of this nature has been left in the lunchroom, but I hope it is the last.

I find it discouraging that I need to send out a note like this a few weeks after completing 'Respect in the Workplace' training. If you have questions about what is and isn't appropriate, please ask before you end up jeopardizing your employment over something that could have easily been prevented. Thank you.