Discrimination, sexism and bullying in the work place appear to be on the increase which concerns me a great deal. It comes under many guises and is not always easy to see. It is like a virus and it multiplies and gets out of control before you notice what it is.
I feel very passionate about a person being discriminated against for one reason or another. Some discrimination is subtle and some is in your face.
It all starts off with Gossip!
What starts off with one person complaining about another person soon turns into a witch hunt if it is not stopped in its tracks.
So how does it begin, simple enough one staff member for one reason or another doesn't like their co-worker. They talk to one person discussing the problems they have with the other person. That co-worker goes on break with somebody else, tells that person what the other person said, now we have three people discussing it before long it multiplies and the whole unit is involved one way or another.
So the hot topic of conversation is about one person, who is not part of this 'conversation', the initial conversation has progressed, often exaggerated, and now has a life of its own.
The staff becomes more aware of their co-worker, if this person then does something or says something, no matter how small this is the proof they needed to confirm what the first person had said all along!
This is then relayed back to the person who started the gossip in the first place and a vicious circle begins
Gossip is the route of all evil, I firmly believe if you are in a break room and you hear co-workers talk in any way about another co-worker then you are as guilty as the person who is doing the gossiping.
Why? Because you have a choice, you can ask them to stop or you can leave the room.
If the gossiper has nobody to listen to their evil, then it dies on the spot. By listening you are giving the gossip a life. By not asking the other person to stop discussing somebody else, you are giving them permission to carry on.
Gossip really hurts!
By the time the person you are discussing finds out about what is being said, the damage to that person is done.
As a manager I have seen both sides and neither side is pretty.
I experienced a valuable experienced member of staff been reduced to tears, self-doubt and distress almost beyond repair because of malicious gossip.
Alienated because of your sexuality is just unacceptable, jokes about a person's sex life, choice of partner and discussion of somebodies home life is just abhorrent.
What might seem like a funny joke to you, when repeated back to that person burns into their soul!
I have supported staff that has been discriminated against for one reason or another; all suffer the same end outcome.
Distress
Loss of self-worth
Loss of respect
Feel devalued
Hurt
Alienation
Trust issues
The list is endless of the damage we can do to somebody, not one of us is exempt from being bullied, discriminated or alienated from our co-workers.
So STOP before you listen to a conversation about somebody else.
Refuse to have anybody else discussed in a room where you are
Kill the conversation dead, and hopefully the person who is gossiping will think twice about their behavior.
It is within YOUR control, stop it early, stamp it dead, do your part to stop bullying and discrimination now
