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In today’s cosmopolitan workplace people are offended from just about everything they here that smacks of negativity. Lawsuits abound in an environment where cultural sensitivity is a top concern for many Americans. Because of this risk companies should begin an investigation quickly regardless of its outcome. That leaves many managers and employees unsure of exactly what they should be saying and what to do if there is misunderstand. First it is important to discuss a number of words that people might find offensive such as “gay, faggot, queer, niggardly, cracker, etc.”. In most cases people would be offended to hear these terms in the workplace. However, if we were to use the words correctly there is almost no negative connotation. “I’m joyous and gay”, “I am going to collect some faggots (bundles of wood) for the fire”, “Talking about aliens is so queer (strange or odd)”, “The budget this years is so niggardly (tight or cheap)”, and/or “Crackers (a food) is good with cheese”. It is important to remember that these terms were valid and rightful before they became swear words. As a human resource professional I look towards the context in which words were used when investigating similar type complaints. Sometimes it is not possible to determine the context and in these situation to simply put a note in the file that I discussed the situation with the person and “counseled him/her on the importance of not giving the wrong impression”. The note is simply used for future reference and isn’t used as discipline unless similar type charges arise. Other times it is easy to determine that a person is intentionally creating a hostile work place that doesn’t foster a progressive and diversified workforce. In these cases discipline may be meted out according to the nature and extent of the offense. If the comments were “gross, wide or public” then a heavier discipline (which may include termination) would be issued. Some of the times people are hyper-sensitive even if there was no racial slanders involved. For example, people who do not receive promotions or pay raises may assume that they are being discriminated against because of their race. This happens because people may have the image of race, religion, or their difference in the forethought of their mind and interpret all information through this lens. Thus an unintentional slight may mean unequivocal racism to a person who always tries to confirm that the reason they have such a poor life is that they are being discriminated against. As managers, business owners, or human resource professional it is important to take every claim of discrimination, sexual harassment, or hostile environment serious. The law states that in such cases the company has the legal responsibility to initiate an investigation of the claim within a few short days regardless of the outcome. Thus the outcome but the fact that an investigation was started is of paramount importance. Murad Ali is a three time published author, a Ph.D. candidate, and a human resource manager. http://www.thenewbusinessworld.blogspot.com
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Discrimination, words, lawsuits,
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