Talking Dirty

[garciadiego]

I didn't know where to post this. Sorry if I am in the wrong forum.

I have a healthy active hetero sex life. I work with mostly women as a nurse on a Med Surg floor. When we are slow the nurse sit around the nurses station chatting and the chat inevitably turns to sex. I don't know why but I become uncomfortable and embarrased when I over hear young women talking about their sex lives, their sex practices and their sex humor. I try to go some where else on the unit when there is sex talk and I am not about to tell them to stop.

Does any one have any witty one liners that might stop all this dirty talk? Or anything else that might lessen it.

[hajer]

this problem is happening to me also ,althuogh a in an islamic country that talking in this stuff is extreemly prohopited in our social setting .but the problem is that there are alot of foringers in my work place about 80% of emploee & that make it so diffecult to control thire talking or disscutions ,,& also am only resident ( my comment is not important) my only reaction is running away from such talking or ignoring this topic

[ThePretender]

Wow i hope everything is settled and everyone is fine the way it is before the problem arised.

This reminds me the time my immature, lame guy friend freaking targeted me sex questions. I was uncomfortable and couldnt put up with him anymore.

[november17, ASN, RN]

Personally that kind of stuff doesn't bother me.

People are the same everywhere, regardless of their gender.

I used to work construction. The guys working construction were about equally as vulgar describing their sexual stuff as the women that I work with these days in the hospital. You should take it as a compliment that they're treating you like one of the guys or something.

Again, it doesn't really bother me, personally. I don't take it as sexual harassment just because it is a member of the opposite sex talking.

[Perpetual Student]

I'd probably just keep my mouth shut and inwardly laugh at some of the more outrageous comments. I definitely wouldn't go to HR or my supervisor unless the comments were made in front of patients and visitors.

[kristenncrn]

garciadiego -

Just so you know - you are SO not the only male I know who feels that way. My husband is totally cool with sex and mature about human sexuality in general - but is much like pagandeva's husband at work. Many of his coworkers assumed he was gay for the first year + of his employment because he didn't respond to their jokes and walked away from the off-color discussions.

It's because we have way too many friends who have gotten really put through the wringer over the issue. There's my friend that I mentioned before... his "sexual harrassment" claim, by the way, was that he walked too quietly and startled the woman in question while she was talking to her friends (about - you guessed it.) We also have a great friend who was written up twice for being inappropriate at work for joking as part of a group about good looking doctors. The problem is - he was the only male. No one else got reprimanded, by the way. My husband has also had a couple of very persistent admirers when he first started in healthcare that made him particularly leary.

So when the talk turns smutty - he is off like a dirty shirt.

I think it is a bummer - because I *love* working with men and I love talking about sex, politics and religion more than any other subjects! But I gotta wait til I get home or when I am with the co-workers that I trust. (All 3 of them.)

Best,

Kristen

[NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN]

Everyone has a different line between what is tolerable and what is not. Your co-workers can't read your mind. Usually a "Whoa, TMI!" is enough for most people to take a hint. Going to management or HR isn't necessary. Now, if those discussions continue at that level of TMI over and over, there's a problem. Then it's time for other official steps to be taken.

While I'm no prude, conversations can turn really raunchy @ work. I think because nurses do work of such a personal nature, things tend to phase us less than the average bear. Now with that in mind, some co-workers are waaaaaay to open. Those are the ones that I occasionally need to remind when they're nearing the TMI line. Not a big deal. They catch themselves and back off. I don't think most people are respectful of their co-workers and don't intentionally create a hostile work environment. When it gets to that point, yes, someone's head will roll.

[Agnus]

It amazes me the number of female posters who say basically suck it up it is no big deal.

I feel confident it the tables were turned and these female posters were faced with male co worker doing this they would be up in arms over it.