Last time I invited you to consider how you felt about including the following clause in an organization’s harassment policy:
“If you’re about to make a comment and you’re not sure whether it is unwelcome, ask if it’s okay.”
Well, here’s what I advised my client: remove this clause ASAP. All it does is allow people to engage in all kinds of offensive behaviours, as long as there’s no one around that is offended by them. In fact, creating a respectful workplace means that people refrain from offensive behaviours even if there is no `apparent victim’. That way, everyone can feel comfortable anytime, everywhere. And with Ontario’s upcoming Bill 168 Health and Safety legislation, it’s more important than ever to provide a psychologically safe workplace for all.
So instead, I suggested replacing the original problematic clause with:
“If you’re about to make a comment and you’re not sure whether it is unwelcome, refrain altogether from saying it”.
(Interestingly, one of you had graciously responded to the previous blog entry with the following comment: “I have always been taught to think before speaking. Make sure it is first of all true, then kind, then necessary. I find that this avoids a lot of problems”. Certainly something to ponder!)
