Personally, I like hearing and sharing with my coworkers about our lives outside of work... to a point. If my partner on-site is having a hard time at home due

Personally, I like hearing and sharing with my coworkers about our lives outside of work... to a point. If my partner on-site is having a hard time at home due to issue X, that directly impacts my interpersonal relationship with him/her: were they to blow up at me in a moment of tension, I'd be more comfortable giving them a pass knowing where it might be coming from. That said, I think it's the "to a point" that's the difficulty here. Because that point is a socially-negotiated line and may be different between different coworkers, in different work contexts or surroundings, or just on different days. And... pardon to say... but "we" (as computer science professionals) aren't renowned for our attention to social cues and ability to navigate and be informed by same. In short, I feel like sexual harassment training might better be spent training on soft skills / communicating and reading ones coworkers better. PS: This absolutely applies equally to both parties in the original blog post. With the additional responsibility that the manager, as an individual in a position of authority, has a higher standard to uphold than the employee. Either they misread or ignored signals that these topics made the employee in question uncomfortable, or such signals weren't clearly given. In either case, communication breakdown. PPS: Simultaneously, I know I produce my best work when I feel like my team (including management above me) knows and communicates with me as more than a cog -- and yes, sometimes this includes crass language / semi-appropriate jokes or stories. In a lot of ways, it's a verbal trust-fall exercise. If I'm uncomfortable with anything, I try to clearly communicate that back to whoever is sharing.