Harassment and Discrimination

Harassment

Intent vs. Impact

Sometimes, when employees are the subject of a harassment complaint, they’ll try to defend themselves by saying, “it was just a joke,” or, “they didn’t mean to offend anyone.” But what’s important to remember is that when it comes to harassment, our intent is not what matters. What matters is the impact of our words and actions on the other person and how it made them feel.

That’s why it’s so important to always pause and consider the impact of our words and actions before we act. This helps us avoid unintentionally engaging in harassing behavior and creating an unwelcoming environment that stops people becoming the best version of themselves.

It’s never acceptable to make jokes about our colleagues’, or anyone’s, nationality or about any other legally protected class or category. Our nationality is a legally protected class and is also an important part of our identity and who we are, so it can be a very dehumanizing experience when someone makes even a single joke about it.    

A person who identifies as gender fluid doesn’t have a fixed gender, and the gender they identify with may change over time. Because many of us have grown up knowing only two genders, it can be difficult to understand that gender is a spectrum – and that’s okay. But just because we don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. What we do need to understand, though, is that our gender identity is important to our sense of self. Living a life that is not true to who we are can be distressing.    

That’s why it’s important that people must be able to be their authentic selves at work and people should feel accepted and valued for who they are in an inclusive work environment where their gender identity is believed and respected. We can do that by sharing our own pronouns, asking others what their pronouns are, and making efforts to use those pronouns correctly.   

However, be mindful we should not use the term “preferred” pronouns because this implies that there is a preference or that we may have a choice when it comes to gender identity, when it’s not a choice at all. It’s who we are.

Discrimination

What Is Discrimination?

Discrimination refers to unequal or unfair treatment of an individual or a group based on certain characteristics protected by law.

You have a legal, moral, and ethical responsibility to guard against this inappropriate workplace conduct.

Always select the best candidate for the position. An individual’s pregnancy cannot affect your decision.

Remember, it is never acceptable to discriminate against anyone because of pregnancy.