Q: I did something at work I shouldn't have done. I work at an entertainment media company as an assistant to executives. The executives have the right to hire people without first going through the human resources department. First I have to explain that everyone is having an affair with everyone. The president is sleeping with a producer; one of the vice presidents will sleep with anyone who agrees to it; another producer is having an affair with another one. The list goes on and on. One producer got angry because she found out the man she is having an affair with is also sleeping with his wife. It's a soap opera reality.

The executive VP hired an attractive woman as another producer. No one had known her from anywhere, and she seemed to be unfamiliar with the work. I was in the VP's office and happened to see the woman's resume on his desk, so I picked it up and read it. She had no experience as a producer. She had apparently mailed it directly to him, because stapled to the back was an 8 1/2-by-10-inch glossy photo of a nearly full body shot. At the bottom of the photo was a caption, which read, "Great legs." He had hired her solely from the photo.

I was laughing so hard (to myself) that I thought I just had to share it. I photocopied it and passed it to all the people I work with. Everyone vowed to keep it quiet, and we have an incredible laugh whenever we see this woman. She didn't even know what was going on in terms of all the people and their affairs, but she picked the right man to mail it to.

I know I shouldn't have copied it and passed it around, but I think you can see how crazy our environment is and how hard it is to take anyone seriously. If it somehow gets out that I distributed it to certain people, do you think that the environment is a good excuse for doing such a thing?

A: You don't know that the woman didn't know about the company's environment, and that may have been the reason she marketed herself to that VP in particular. She didn't have work experience in the field, so she used what she thought would help her gain it. Apparently, it worked.

I always support honesty, but in the case of distributing the photo to your workplace friends, I would not. If someone tells the VP what you did, don't admit to it. No one would have anything to gain by your admitting to this, though the woman herself probably wouldn't mind, seeing as she is the one who set the plan into action to get a job.

You weren't intentionally searching through papers on his desk to find this resume and photo; you happened to come across them while doing your job and became surprisingly entertained by this woman's getting the job with her lack of experience. The "great legs" caption was likely the icing on the cake that pushed you over the ledge, especially with the history of everyone's affairs, which hardly seem to be secret.

It's known that management sets the tone for its workplace, and cheating in relationships seems to be the way of life there. You and your friends have had a good laugh; the woman got the job she wanted; and the VP seems to be living the life he wants. Moral judgment aside, if all actions and relationships are mutual and no one exposes anyone or presses charges, all will remain status quo. If anything does blow up at a later date, hiring a person who promotes her great legs will be the least of the company's problems.

Email your questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at [email protected], and follow her on Twitter @I_truly_care. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.