Discussion on answer by Kate Gregory: How to train an employee to be sensitive with their language

There is a really important lesson in your comment, troya. If I (or any other sentient human) says to you (who is not in charge of the heating system) "wow, it sure is hot in here today!" I am NOT asking you to solve my discomfort. Never. I am just commenting. You can say "sure is!" or "I hate it!" or "Oh? I hadn't noticed" or nothing at all: all excellent responses. Any position of "oh the poor guy he had no choice but to make a slimy hur hur sexual joke" is based on this false premise that the customer was asking him to solve the heat. That's not how people ask for problems to be solved

@troya please stop these comments have nothing to do with the answer or the question. You may be frustrated but that doesn't mean everyone has to read what you are frustrated about here.

A good example which many people accept is dress code on client sites. One doesn't have to like/appreciate professional clothing - it is simply a business requirement to respect the dress code when at the client site. And similarly there is a code of conduct which includes what comments are considered inappropriate - like a "verbal dress code" which they have to adhere to in a professional setting

@KateGregory That is actually extremely culturally dependent. Where I'm from, if my superior or my client says "It sure is hot here", that means I'm expected to either fix the AC, open a window, get them a cool drink, or take them out of there. And it is expected that I infer exactly which of these options they want. Not taking action is incredibly rude. In fact I do not understand why someone would express this thought if they do not want me to fix it. As you note in your answer, there is such a thing as an unexpressed thought, after all.

@troya Whatever the customer thought is irrelevant. We don't have a quote about her exact comment. The question poses the comment as not having anything inappropriate in it. The employee did say something inappropriate. Not only that, but the comment itself acknowledges that specific boundary. This implies the employee is intentionally probing the boundary. Testing boundaries is inappropriate behavior that children are commonly punished for. Anytime someone violates the peace or reasonable sensibilities of another, we absolutely find the thoughts an feelings of the culprit ARE less important.