Mass Verbal Warning

Becles

A friend works with a bunch of lunatics!

They were in work the other day and one bloke called another bloke a monkey, so they all started making monkey noises at him. It was just harmless fun and nobody in the group was offended by it.

However a new employee from an ethnic minority overheard the monkey noises and wrongly assumed they were taking the mickey out of him so he put in a complaint about racial abuse.

The group who made the monkey noises were all called into the office yesterday and given a mass verbal warning for racial abuse. They've been told if anyone is heard making further monkey noises, they will be instantly dismissed.

Can the group do anything about this? It's unfair to have a warning on your employment record for something you didn't do.

hjb123

It depends on whether they can prove that they werent making monkey noises at this new employee I would of thought! The company will probably want to be shown to be doing its part for racial equality and discrimination!

I think its really not fair when you cant say or do anything for fear of upsetting the ehtnic or cultural minorities!

H

shane8960

It will just look like an excuse. "We wasnt making the noises at him we was making it at someone else"

They where making monkey noises - best thing I would have thought would be for them to apolagise to the "victim" and explain to him, see if he will explain to the boss?

Shane

Tondella

I think that when it comes to equal opportunities at work it isn't the intent of the perpetrator so much as how the incident was perceived by others. So it is actually irrelevant whether your friend and his mates meant to offend this gentleman, all that matters is that he was offended. I don't think there is anything your friend can do, except maybe apologise to the gentleman who had been offended and try and make clear their intentions. If the note on his work record ever gets commented on then I am sure he will have the opportunity to explain what really happened. It is unfortunate but he will just have to be a little more careful about whether his japes could cause offence in the future.

freebie_junkie

yaeh i agree, its isnt so much how people meant it, its how people percieve it.

if someone says 'thats gay' or 'ive been gypped' they dont always mean harm but teh fact that it causes harm means it shouldnt be said.

freebie_junkie

hjb123 wrote:

I think its really not fair when you cant say or do anything for fear of upsetting the ehtnic or cultural minorities!

H

as were all one great big lump who are offended by everything!

wongo

"I think its really not fair when you cant say or do anything for fear of upsetting the ehtnic or cultural minorities!"

hey why leave it at the ethnic minorities? Why not disabled people, gypsies etc, or anyone who's different. The problem with people complaining about perceived "political correctness" is that it disguises a lack of basic good manners and respect for other people.

If you cause offence to someone, even if it was unwittingly done, its basic good manners to apologise. And its basic good manners and "fair" to consider how other people are affected by what you say or do.

bbruce

This country is getting so PC you can't say or do anything without fear of causing offence.
I blame it on Monty Python, in which was said "Tolerance is a great Briish virtue; don't waste it on xxxxxxs, yyyyyyys & zzzzzzzzzs" (insert minority groups).
Since then people have been behaving more like children seeing how far they can go, which has caused more and more regulations being created to define what is not reasonable.

lush_walrus

To be honest I think that some people just perceive the world is against them, and really feel that any comment is aimed at them, over sensitive in my opinion.

Slightly off topic, I was having a chat with a girl I know regarding whether she ever felt discriminated against, now or anytime since being grown up. She said straight away, no why would I? So I explained to her why I was curious, I adore her so could be totally honest. She first of all is asian, she wears glasses, is slightly over weight, is lesbian and has one arm, so (and she would not mind me saying this at all) she belongs to a whole variety of minorities there and yet she doesnt beleive in discrimination, and swears blind that she has never been discriminated against. The relevence is that to be honest, she is far too busy living her life and enjoying it to even notice anything that might be said by someone. And more importantly, she is such a full of spirit girl that everyone who meets her adores her even people who are strangers she manages to get talking to!

freebie_junkie

sometimes its really funny ill admit.

i wa son the phone to the council teh other day and they take your ethic group and i said "Romany Gypsy" and she said "bloody hell! i expected you to say White British! i dont have yours, can i put you down as mine?"

you gotta laught at that havent you?!

jobbingmusician

I would not stand for having a verbal warning on my file for something I didn't do. After all, it could affect a reference for another job! I suggest the 'perpetrators' take out a mass grievance against the manager who came up with this crazy idea.