An incident at work

Tiddlywinks

Look here:

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=797

alonehiker

It all sounds a bit 'petty' to me, and work related 'banter', but if you find it as bullying or harassment, then you shouldn't have to put up with it. I'm sure as a large company they will have a well established bullying and harassment policy, as well as a whistle blowing telephone line. If no improvement is achieved from speaking with your manager I suggest you either speak with the area manager or use the whistle blowing telephone line to escalate the issue above store level.

Orville

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Protected characteristics: age / disability / gender reassignment / marriage and civil partnership / pregnancy and maternity / race / religion or belief / sex / sexual orientation.

There is something known as Discrimination by perception - this is direct discrimination against someone because others think that they possess a particular protected characteristic. They do not necessarily have to possess the characteristic, just be perceived to.

So, basically, if they are treating you differently because they think you are gay (as an example) then the company needs to treat that seriously and should have a policy in place to address such discriminatory behaviour and protect you from this happening again.

Ok well let me say that they do not think i am gay. I am a single full time father. There is no way i have given any indication i have any gay tendencies. This is basically them just using that as a method to wind me up. I mean if you were some idiot at work that for some sick reason get a kick out of winding people up, wolf whistling and sailor boy comments would probably be the best way to get a reaction with most people i'd say...

Orville

Jamtastic87 wrote: »

It all sounds a bit 'petty' to me, and work related 'banter', but if you find it as bullying or harassment, then you shouldn't have to put up with it. I'm sure as a large company they will have a well established bullying and harassment policy, as well as a whistle blowing telephone line. If no improvement is achieved from speaking with your manager I suggest you either speak with the area manager or use the whistle blowing telephone line to escalate the issue above store level.

I understand what you say, and this is what the people who do this thing would like you to think, so it does not get acted upon. It has been an eye opener for me as at first i thought it was banter, but when the comments get worse and more personal the feeling changes and it does become personal. from my point of view, it is not banter.

Tiddlywinks

Orville wrote: »

Ok well let me say that they do not think i am gay. I am a single full time father. There is no way i have given any indication i have any gay tendencies. This is basically them just using that as a method to wind me up. I mean if you were some idiot at work that for some sick reason get a kick out of winding people up, wolf whistling and sailor boy comments would probably be the best way to get a reaction with most people i'd say...

You're not getting it - If they are making remarks suggesting homosexuality - then they are breaching the EA 2010 - it is beside the point whether you are or you aren't gay. This very example is given in the ACAS leaflet from my link.

alonehiker

Orville wrote: »

I understand what you say, and this is what the people who do this thing would like you to think, so it does not get acted upon. It has been an eye opener for me as at first i thought it was banter, but when the comments get worse and more personal the feeling changes and it does become personal. from my point of view, it is not banter.

Why do you think they are doing it?

Does your company have a area/district manager, and/or a whistle blowing line?

pawlala

If you've got a mobile with voice recorder on it switch it on before you walk past him next time. If he says it again tell him to say it louder because 'you couldn't hear what he said the first time'

Orville

Jamtastic87 wrote: »

Why do you think they are doing it?

Does your company have a area/district manager, and/or a whistle blowing line?

Basically because he's an idiot, attention seeking maybe..? i mean he named his son kurt cobain after the singer and he goes around with a pony tail calling himself obi won kannobi from starwars..

Need i say more..?

As for a whistle blowing line i have no idea, i'ts a major supermarket, the second largest one in the country which is american owned.

Orville

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

You're not getting it - If they are making remarks suggesting homosexuality - then they are breaching the EA 2010 - it is beside the point whether you are or you aren't gay. This very example is given in the ACAS leaflet from my link.

Thank you, i missed your link, will take a look now.

Tiddlywinks

Orville wrote: »

Thank you, i missed your link, will take a look now.

Once you open the link, click on the leaflet and it will open the PDF.

The example given is:

'Steve is continually being called gay and other related names
by a group of employees at his work. Derogatory homophobic
comments have been posted on the staff notice board about
him by people from this group. Steve was recently physically
pushed to the floor by one member of the group but is too
scared to take action. Steve is not gay but heterosexual;
furthermore the group know he isn’t gay. This is harassment

related to perception of sexual orientation.'