CorpComms Magazine

Carol Thatcher, daughter of the former prime minister, was fired by the BBC after it emerged that she had referred to a French-Congolese tennis player, Jo-Wilfried Tsongas, as a 'golliwog'. The remark was not broadcast but was heard by Thatcher's colleagues in the green room. Her dismissal generated hundreds of calls to the BBC, many of which called for Thatcher's reinstatement.

John Smythe, Deputy chairman, Engage Group

Dear Mary,

Golly gosh, to misquote a former prime minister's daughter. Mary, what's the etiquette for dealing with employees who drop the company in it with social faux pas in the press? Or in the lift with the new chief executive? Or even just being a colleague and saying the unmentionable over the inedible in the canteen?

First, remember the child in all of us - suppression simply displaces the crime and will turn continued committal into a challenge.

Second, don't ask colleagues to bring pressure - they will openly or tacitly side with the underdog and you will have a popular victim on your hands, accusing you of harassment and discrimination.

Third, don't ask the target of the original alleged slur if they wish to seek redress. They will accuse you of poor judgment by consciously reinforcing the labelling whilst forgiving the perpetrator a slip of the tongue.

Fourth, don't try to laugh if off. Everyone involved will assume you are laughing at them and you will be the one remembered for ridiculing and bullying.

No. Simply point out to all parties that banter is only a company issue if the sources wrongly purport to be representing the attitudes and positions of the company. If that is the case, then begin disciplinary proceedings. In all other cases, turn a deaf ear and pretend not to understand office street talk.

Zena Martin, Managing director, Acknowledge Communications

First, Carol Thatcher was fired from The One Show by the BBC, for her 'golliwog' comment, and now 30 BT call centre staff have been suspended, and face the sack, for emailing an 'Irish joke' around the office. Were these swift actions appropriate, or is this political correctness gone mad?

In the BBC's case, Thatcher's comments were made off-camera and allegedly some of those present laughed. Presumably, at least 30 BT staff deemed the email to be funny or it would not have been forwarded. But the key issue to note is that, in both cases, at least one co-worker was offended.

As a responsible employer, you must create and foster a prejudice-free working environment. When the rules are violated, the actions cannot be tolerated - even if the perpetrators defend their actions as 'meant in good fun'.

But there are many ways to demonstrate that actions are not tolerated, Besides termination of employment, it could mean requesting a formal and public apology or renewed diversity training - as was the recent case of a certain royal prince after his comments in the workplace.

Drama-based training works very well because it is tailored to your company, and depicts scenarios that show employees - without making them feel guilty or exasperated - how the most innocent of communications can be deemed inappropriate.

Companies must create a great workplace in order to attract and retain the best talent. The Great Place to Work Institute says 'a great place to work is where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with'. If you don't have, or don't plan to achieve that definition, then potential disaster looms, and you might as well shut shop now.

Emmajane Johnson, Consultant, Able and How

One person's inappropriate language is another person's hilarious quip. Inappropriateness is subjective. Was the person just being thoughtless or deliberately crude? Most of the time, people rarely go out of their way to be offensive.

The language we use, whether it is appropriate or not, is just a small part of what makes up our behaviour. It also includes our gesticulations, manners, actions and reactions or even how we dress. Even the meetings we intentionally miss, how much we blame others, who we smile or frown at or ignore and how we conduct ourselves during office parties create our behaviour.

All these things can be viewed very differently from company to company or even between countries. The way inappropriate language is addressed should take into account the country and organisational culture.

Being told that we are doing or saying something inappropriate is important, especially for an employee's learning and development. Invariably, there is a marked difference between people who have been given feedback throughout their careers, and those who haven't. People who receive regular feedback on their behaviour are lucky enough to either:

•    Have a manager who believes how we do things is just as important as what we do; OR

•    Be part of a company that places behaviour firmly in the performance management process. They won't get that much praise if they've made people cry in the process of completing their objectives.

The really lucky ones get both. Here are pointers for keeping inappropriate language in check:

•    Articulate what constitutes appropriate behaviour and make sure employees understand.

•    Make behaviour part of performance management. That way, inappropriate language cannot be ignored.

•    Give line managers communications training. Giving constructive feedback is a skill that needs to be learned.

•    Give constructive and timely feedback to employees on a face-to-face basis.

•    Protect the reputation of the employee. Give the feedback, allow them to take it on board and say no more...unless they do it again.

Employees who feel safe to express themselves while respecting the boundaries get to learn, develop and flourish. 

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