Hey, you guys, listen up.

On a recent visit to a Lehighton restaurant to reconnect with three Summit Hill women friends, I became aware of how they, along with me, are lumped together these days when addressed. All of us are either 82 or 83.

Our server arrived and greeted us with a jaunty and enthusiastic “Hi, guys.”

Now, I must admit that, on occasion when I was teaching at Lehigh Carbon Community College, I would greet several of my students (a group of men and women) with this phrase when I encountered them around campus, although when I greeted them at the start of class, I always said, “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” This may come off as officious and pretentious, but I never got any complaints.

Admittedly, the phrase “you guys” is super casual and, in some cases, offensive, especially in a business setting or when servers are addressing customers at least three or four times their age.

Should there be an age limit on this phrase’s use - for example, never use it with anyone who is 50 or older, or 60, 70 or 80?

I am not offended when I am lumped into the amorphous “you guys,” but I know plenty of people, especially women, who are.

At one of our Summit Hill High School Class of 1957 reunions, I did an unofficial survey among my then-75- and 76-year-old female classmates, and every one of them said they were annoyed or uncomfortable when they are in groups and addressed as “you guys” or, worse, “youse guys.” So, what would you like to be called, I asked. Almost all of them said by their first or last name or “ladies.”

When I asked six women in my community college classroom whether they had any problem in being included in “you guys,” five of the six said “no.” The sixth, who was in her mid-30s, said she didn’t get upset by it but would prefer to be addressed as something else.

You’re probably wondering by this time whether there are not way more important things to worry about, but those in business situations who use this phrase indiscriminately could run afoul of the political correctness police and their irritated customers. It could be hazardous to their financial health.

One of my dinner mates said one of her friends withheld a tip from a server who used the phrase four times, including the greeting. “How is the food, guys?” “Is there anything else I can get you guys?” “Thanks very much, guys; have a good day.”

Many people do not react one way or the other when someone uses the phrase. It has become an ingrained term in our modern vernacular, but as one of my female classmates said, “There is a time and a place for everything.”

When I asked how she feels about being lumped into “you guys,” she said without hesitation, “I hate it. I also prefer to be called ‘Mrs.’ - none of that ‘Ms.’ stuff either,” she said.

A friend of mine runs a restaurant in Schuylkill County. The day after our dinner, I asked him whether he instructs his servers about the use of this phrase. “Yes,” he said, “some of our customers despise it, so I instruct our servers to use ‘folks’ or nothing at all - just ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening, how are you ?’”

In our politically correct society, where there is a keen focus on gender-neutral terms, “you guys” seems to be radically out of place. We are encouraged to use “firefighter” rather than “fireman,” “police officer” rather than “policeman” or “policewoman,” “carrier” instead of “mailman,” “flight attendant” rather than “stewardess,” and so on.

So, are we perpetuating gender-bias if we use the term “you guys?” The curious thing about this phrase is that girls and women are just as likely to use “you guys” among themselves as males are.

We can turn this argument on its ear and ask how a group of men would feel about being addressed as “you gals.” Laughable, right?

Women who do object to the term “you guys” are more likely to do so on the basis of its casualness rather than its gender bias.

Many top-level officials suggest that the term not be used in the workplace, because it comes off as presumptuous. In other words, you are seen as not knowing your place, which can be an impediment to your upward mobility in a company.

When invoked by professional subordinates, “you guys” assumes a level of familiarity that may be viewed as impertinent by those up the chain of command. Those who use the term thinking it is a way of fitting in may find out in reality that it is putting off the very people they are trying to impress.

Rather than creating the impression of a polished, self-aware professional, it projects an air of casualness that’s at times inappropriate in professional settings

Use it during a job interview, and I assure you that in many instances it is an instant poison pill.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.