Society & Culture Potential HR issue at work

[Miqar_Baqfhied]

I work in a dual HR and OSH role for a large company, and have seen jfirst hand how things like this can explode into complex litigation cases. With IR, Workers Comp and ER laws being so damn soft and pro-employee these days my advice is tread really really carefully around these kind of matters. Bring it up with HR management as soon as possible. Or at least your supervisor/manager. It is HR's responsbility to ensure that they are providing a workplace free of discrimination and harrasment, therefore they will be required to act on it. Put your concerns in writing so it's documented. And you can ask to be kept anonymous. Its not up to you to have a word to your work collegues about quelling this behaviour. Not saying that it's bad, its just that there are workers out there looking to sue for anything these days thanks to the rankly piss weak fair work act, and almost always be successful.

Same goes for workers comp. You have no idea the unbelievably soft stuff Ive seen from c*ckwits trying to rort the system (only cos its piss weak and allows them to).

If you do bring it up yourself with HR, should shit go down, at least this might mean you could be exempt from being disciplined.

 

[Norwegian Blue]

how's it work these days?? if you own a small business, say 8-10 employees everyone gets along and has a laugh and it can get crude at time... someone comes in and tries to cut it all out, are you entitled to just get rid of them cause they don't fit in?? if it's you're business and you're the owner surely you have the final say in who and who doesn't work for you??

Sure you have final say. But if you sack someone because they didn't like sexist/racist/whatever banter you'll get absolutely crucified if it gets to court. If they've complained about it and then you sack them it'll be worse.

I think it comes down to professionalism. It's fair enough to expect some degree of professionalism from yourself when you go to work. Light-hearted banter isnt too bad, but if it is unprofessional and obviously disturbing to fellow coworkers (even if they are new), tone it down a bit. ie. pictures of women in bikinis at work isnt professional.

It's amazing the amount of people who don't get that. Some idiots out there seem to think they can still get away with nudie pics, apprentice hazing and all sorts of shit. In large companies that mostly died out years ago due to direction from senior management who were in the firing line come lawsuit time. One of the absolute worst things you can do in these circumstances is tell someone who's asked for banter to be toned down that it's their problem and they should just fit in. The law is quite clear, once the complaint's been made it's the company's problem to deal with, NOT the employee's.

 

[Tiff]

Yeah, I don't know how i feel about jokes at work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not uptight but i think that sometimes certain characters think a joke is funny when it isn't.

When i first joined my current company, a communication went out which introduced me using an incorrect name. Funny, innocent mistake and not a big deal.

6 months later and my boss was still calling me by that incorrect name. He wasn't being malicious, he was doing it to bond with me and thought I was laughing along with him.
I felt annoyed after the first month and by the sixth month it felt down right demeaning. I didn't do anything but this is a great example of how incredibly polarised jokes can be at work. I think 'teasing' someone at work, even when being obviously playful, is dangerous.

Most women will feel uncomfortable around men making sexist jokes in a work environment.

You're right. It is dangerous. Taking humor and teasing out of the workplace turns us into robots, and goes against the ingrained Australian culture of taking the Micky out of someone in an affectionate way, though. However, you've got to be smart about it.

Pick your audience wisely, pick your material wisely, read peoples vibes and learn when to back off. Most of this comes natural to the majority of us, however it's always that minority which has no radar and takes it too far. Or people who are power tripping and being vengeful.

I'm a larrikin at work, and give out as much as I get, but I know when to back off, and what not too say. For instance, you get to know someone first, before you start pulling the piss out of their haircut.

I've had to tell a boss to back off before, purely because he kept going and going and wasn't reading my vibes that I wasn't happy about it. That's the difference, in his position I would have realised I'd gone too far and offered an apology. In the majority of cases, problems like this can be fixed in a matter of minutes without it ever resorting to litigation.

The problem is, there actually is a lot of people in workplaces who are out to make everyone else's life misery, and would never apologise, and these laws are purely there for these idiots.

 

[Roobs321]

I find that can also apply for awkward mates.

I remember growing up, I had some less socially cool friends who I valued, and because I would often make lighthearted jokes about them, and had more wit, I sometimes encouraged them to take the mickey out of me, knowing I could put them in their place at any time if I so wished. However, these socially-inept people often dont know when to stop, they dont have that social awareness to know when they have crossed a line.

 

[Upgrayedd]

that raises another bugbear of mine

pictures of semi naked men in an office full of women are fine, but the minute i change my desktop picture to a good looking girl in a bikini, the same fat bitches rage..

Complain to HR about her then?

 

[The Passenger]

that raises another bugbear of mine

pictures of semi naked men in an office full of women are fine, but the minute i change my desktop picture to a good looking girl in a bikini, the same fat bitches rage..

this is the worst.

chicks go on about how good looking some dude is, and all this shit, and as soon as you say '**** i just saw some hot bird walking down the street' it's like you've just starting knobbing one off right in front of them.

it's not lost on men that 90% of chicks who do this shit are ugly as **** and simply can't take other women getting compliments.

 

[GOAUS!]

this is the worst.

chicks go on about how good looking some dude is, and all this shit, and as soon as you say '**** i just saw some hot bird walking down the street' it's like you've just starting knobbing one off right in front of them.

it's not lost on men that 90% of chicks who do this shit are ugly as **** and simply can't take other women getting compliments.

Yep, exactly. Women can ogle men but if the roles are reversed SEXIST.

 

[bradrowe#32]

At my workplace it's the women that are perverted. It's a full-time job trying to keep up with them.