UBS MD said something weird to female analyst, should I report it?

Something awkward came from one of the male MDs recently. He asked a young female analyst if a particular app was used for “hook ups” nowadays. It totally threw me off and felt inappropriate. 

Now I’m wondering if I should report it or if I’m overthinking. I don’t want to be labeled as a complainer, and I definitely don’t want it to mess up future PE chances. But it didn’t feel right 

Anyone else ever in this situation? Should I say something (to who?) or just let it slide?

What should I do?

Nothing
71% (547 votes)
Encourage her to Report
8% (58 votes)
Report it
7% (56 votes)
Gossip about it
14% (111 votes)
Total votes: 772
109 Comments
 
Controversial

Do report for sure. You have to act on the matters like this. 

Edit: OP sounded insufferable so that's why I commented like this. Jokes aside, shut the fuck up and just work; none of your business. 

 

DO.NOT….listen to the recruiter, they don’t know what they’re talking about.  If you actually do work at a bank like UBS they’ll have hotlines or automated HR systems you can log complaints in. If you actually do work at a bank like UBS you will have recieved multiple rounds of trainings on this topic and been provided with contact info to report specific offenses anonymously.  And if you actually do work at a bank like UBS….don’t broadcast that here, you’re making yourself a target for retaliation from the MD while simultaneously opening yourself up to disciplinary action for discussing the firm on social media, which banks explicitly prohibit.  You’d know all of this…if you worked at a big bank.
 

It would also help if you gave some additional context to the conversation.  Maybe it was a harmless conversation, or maybe it was far worse than you’re making it sound…there’s no way to tell.  Plus the young woman’s take is left out in your post so that’s weird, it makes you give off the vibe of someone fishing for an angle.  Are you feeling out if you can get away with sliming someone you don’t like?  Are you misreading the situation?  Are you putting your lady colleague in a bad position without her consent or even having talked to her?  Or were you negligent in reporting something that common sense, basic decency, and multiple rounds of training made clear you have an obligation to do?  Without more detail there’s no way to know…and…the more detail you give the more likely you out yourself.  Come on now, use your judgment, is it reall that hard?  Or are you getting off on some third rate trolling?

Not sure what to tell you, your post trips many red flags and raises more questions than it answers.

Get busy living
 

NO!  All shitposting and trolling aside….this is very bad advice, which you’d know if you worked in this business.  Read above post.

Get busy living
 

There’s no beating the MD plausible deniability tax, ain’t nothing gonna change. 

 
Most Helpful

There's nothing to report.  It was a question about current usage trends in apps.  If you think that's sexual harassment, you're doing a disservice to actual sexual harassment.

Get busy living
 

Award for Most Trumpiest comment

Nothing to see here, fake news, its all a lie, she's not my type, I never said that, Im not familiar, Ive never met her

 

hi ! I recently completed a hirevue but made a small mistake in that I was running out of time on 2 questions and brought my comments to a close (I did not try to talk fast and rush), how many mistakes do you normally see on hirevues? Do people pass to the next round with small mistakes assuming they explained the other points in detail?

Thanks

 

Award for Most Trumpiest comment

Nothing to see here, fake news, its all a lie, she's not my type, I never said that, Im not familiar, Ive never met her

Drumpfy is that you? I can smell the soy from here!

image-20241031221908-1

"If you don't have any enemies in life you have never stood up for anything" - Winston Churchill | "It's a testament to the sheer belligerence of the profession that people would rather argue about the 'risk-adjusted returns' of using inferior tooth cleaning methods." - kellycriterion
 

exactly. I'd love to see OP explain what he thinks is wrong with MD's behavior. MD just asked a general question which actually makes sense to ask. if you're a guy in your 30-40s who aims to date / hook up with girls in their 20s, you probably don't know how girls in their 20s view different apps. and as a guy you need to pick one or two apps cause you'll need to buy a premium subscription, so you probably don't wanna buy premium on like 5 apps and pay like $500 per month on dating apps subscriptions. and MD cannot just go on the street and start asking random young girls what apps they use for hookups and dating. he could google it or just ask someone at the office. in no way does it imply that he wants to hookup with this analyst. he just wants to ask a young girl how young girls view different apps currently. it'll help him to also know how to behave on different apps, cause if it's a hookup app then you don't wanna be formal, and if it's a serious dating app you don't wanna be too sexual. and if you behave wrong, you won't even know, cause girls don't ever give you a feedback, they just ghost.

 

If you can't tell, that was a troll reply to a troll post

Managers should not be getting dating advice from their juniors

If they asked within the context of work then it's fine, but OP did not give enough info to warrant a real answer

Get busy living
 

Asking a gen z how Tinder or whatever is used in their generation is sexual harassment now? Analyst classes were always pretty socially out there, but this new post-covid generation is completely autistic, devoid of any basic human social skills.

You’re a loser, and I’m sure I’ll see you again when you post the inevitable “how do I network with my colleagues” or “why do I have to go to team drinks” threads in a few weeks.

 

Inappropriate? Yes. Does it qualify for sexual harassment? Probably not. Should you report this? Absolutely not. This could be a career crushing move as nothing will likely happen to the MD while there's a decent chance they find out who filed the report.

Good for you trying to do the right thing, but if the girl's not reporting it then neither should you.

 

Ignoring all the bad takes here - I don't think it falls on you to report. If you think something crosses a line, you should let the person at the other end of the comment make a formal complaint. By bringing it up unilaterally, you'll attach them to that comment and complaint and you don't know if they want to be associated with that throughout their time at the firm. It's different for someone at the receiving end of a comment than for someone who just witnessed it (in terms of impact, associations, etc).

If you get asked to corroborate then go ahead and speak to whatever channel is appropriate, but it's wrong to make that choice for someone else.

 

Yup, agree, aside from all the shitposting/trolling…this is the real answer.  Which you’d think people would know but either this post is rage bait or OP has incredibly poor judgement given their inclusion of the company name and exclusion of contextual details.

Get busy living
 

Yeah the quality of trolling ain’t what it used to be

The biggest mistake Patrick ever made was deleting god level trolls like Blastoise

Things are getting pretty booooring around here

Get busy living
 

I was in a similar situation once and it sounds uncomfortable and unprofessional. If it felt off, trust that feeling. Start by documenting it for now, noting exactly what happened and how it made you feel. You could approach HR or a trusted senior for advice without making it formal right away. Ultimately, your comfort matters, and documenting gives you options if anything else occurs.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

People have gotten canned for less, be careful bro - stay strong

 

Not your business. This isn't a child who needs your protection, this is an adult professional woman who may or may not have been offended. 

 

Lowkey you should stay frosty and listen to see if the MD makes more weird comments. If you notice a pattern and others notice the same thing then there is definitely an issue. If others notice it and it comes up, you all can figure out how to handle it or even have someone report it anonymously / in their exit interview. While a lot of the comments are suggesting that reporting it would jeopardize your career, if done right you could do some good without harming yourself. Many companies have a whistleblower hotline (not that that is necessarily the way to go). My point is you might have to get creative and not let something inappropriate slide.

With that said reporting a comment like that might not go anywhere, hence why I say keep your ear to the ground / listen for others reporting similar behavior. 

 

Jokes are jokes but sometimes inappropriate jokes are an indication of other inappropriate behavior. I've heard many jokes in the pen that might be "inappropriate" on paper and nobody cares frankly because they are funny and just jokes... as soon as you have an MD with a power dynamic making a strange joke to a younger woman who he has power over that becomes a potential red flag. Not even saying it should be reported but somebody in that position of power might need to be watched. Not everybody makes risqué jokes just because they are funny, sometimes they are an indicator. 

 

The smart thing to do is assume everyone at every group is super touchy.  You can complain about what it is you think woke means all you want but in the real world, one off color joke can ruin your fucking life and you won’t get a second chance.

Its not a threat…it’s a warning.

Get busy living
 

How about you let the adult actually affected respond instead, and not presume you should do so on her behalf? If she wants your witness testimony,  she will ask. Otherwise MYOB.

 

Start journaling about all of these “observations” you are having. Keep detailed notes. Then when something worth reporting actually happens, you will feel needed which is what it seems like this whole post is about.

 

Is there some way I can report OP for being a fuckin weenie and let some fresh grad benefit from his open spot?

"If you don't have any enemies in life you have never stood up for anything" - Winston Churchill | "It's a testament to the sheer belligerence of the profession that people would rather argue about the 'risk-adjusted returns' of using inferior tooth cleaning methods." - kellycriterion
 

There is literally nothing to report he just asked how something is used nowadays. You are being too sensitive, that too on someone else's behalf. Mind your own business, seriously, you're acting like some grave injustice is happening here and this is really pathetic to ACTUAL harassment.

 

As a woman, I’m appalled by what I’m seeing here. Many of you are way out of line, and this whole thread feels like a bunch of bystanders who don’t have the courage to stand up for a female colleague.

 

If MD is hot: not sexual harassment

MD is ugly: possibly sexual harassment 

It is all in the eye of the beholder.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Praesentium consequatur corporis fuga vitae qui ad. Qui dolores similique ducimus nesciunt sit est quam. Sit incidunt consequatur exercitationem qui reiciendis et laboriosam. Ea quaerat id amet delectus soluta. Dolorem et et est quasi dolore ut aut. Doloribus provident debitis laudantium ipsum explicabo occaecati rerum.

 

Alias provident reprehenderit quam neque consequatur dolorum. Nesciunt eaque unde qui minus sunt. Adipisci sapiente qui eligendi facere.

Eveniet eveniet voluptate laborum quod placeat quos sit modi. Fugit rerum iure omnis delectus debitis quas. Iure itaque velit vel nam adipisci.

Reprehenderit laborum voluptate odit. Eum sint reprehenderit quod enim saepe. Non aut adipisci autem quo. Sequi dolorem amet in aut velit minus et. Architecto ab vel provident ea qui vitae.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”