We should all know the dos and don’ts when it comes to appreciating your co-worker’s physical attributes in the workplace.

They might be gorgeous, but if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep that to yourself, otherwise, you could end up in an awkward meeting with HR.

Celebrities, on the other hand, seem to be fair game. They’re public figures, regularly post pictures of themselves all over the web. and they don’t share your office space with you. Thus, it’s fine to break out the pics of Benedict Cumberbatch’s adorable shark face, right?

Wrong, apparently.

According to documents viewed by The Daily Beast, a part-time news writer, Hugh Heckman, for PBS’ NewsHour Weekend is suing his ex-employer after the show fired him for making comments about Meghan Markle’s looks.

Just before Meghan announced her engagement, Heckman saw a picture of the soon-to-be duchess and “in a low voice” declared her “not bad”.

His female co-workers reportedly chastised the writer for his words, asking “Haven’t you learned?” and reminding him of a recent company-wide sexual harassment seminar.

According to the lawsuit, Heckman’s “innocent” comment was not intended to come off as sexual. Rather, the Emmy Award winner “intended to convey that the Duchess possessed charm and beauty and was a suitable match for her fiance, who has a reputation of possessing charm and handsome looks.” Regardless, two days later he was let go by the show’s executive producer.

Heckman argues that he wasn’t alone in the office thirstiness, pointing out that female co-workers had referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “hot.”

I’m going to come right out and say it – this is ridiculous. Here’s attorney Jillian T. Weiss with why:

“When you act as this employer did and elevate something that really doesn’t sit in the category of sexual harassment, you diminish all of those very serious cases that deserve attention. People look at this and think, ‘This is frivolous,’” she said. “That is not true; these (cases) need to be treated seriously.”

As written in the complaint, “A reasonable person would not have construed (Heckman’s) remark to be a sexual comment about the Duchess.”

There must be a hardcore royalist working in that office. Still, this is a thing now, so here are some guidelines for navigating ‘hot celebrity’ etiquette in the workplace courtesy of Diane Gottsman, etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas.

“Use terms like pretty or handsome that don’t have a sexual connotation, in the way ‘hot’ or ‘not bad’ do.”

Gottsman went on to say that when people stick to superficial compliments, “They’re not giving a person credit based on their professional merits. There are better words to describe people, even celebrities.”

Overall, if you’re unsure and don’t want to offend, just don’t say anything at all.

And if you work with royalists – be extra careful.

[source:dailybeast]