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Netflix views five seconds of staring as sexual harassment

Posted On: Jun. 19, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Netflix views five seconds of staring as sexual harassment

Staring at someone for more than five seconds can be considered sexual harassment.

At least that is the case according to Netflix’s sexual harassment policy for film crews, says a report first published in the British newspaper, The Sun. 

Other elements of the policy include not asking for colleagues’ phone numbers, urging staff who feel pestered to say “Stop! Don’t do that again,” avoiding lingering hugs, and not asking people out more than once and steering clear if they say “no.”

According to the article, some employees are taking the policy less than seriously. The article quotes an employee as stating, “It has sparked jokes, with people looking at each other counting to five, then diverting their eyes.”

But, perhaps understandably in light of the “#MeToo” movement, Los Gatos, California-based Netflix isn’t seeing the humor in any of this. It said in a statement, according to The Sun: “We’re proud of the anti-harassment training we offer to our productions. We want every Netflix production to be a safe and respectful working environment. We believe the resources we offer empower people on our sets to speak up, and shouldn’t be trivialized.”