Showing disrespect for a co-worker's faith, national origin or (of course) gender, is something that HR types constantly preach against. Most large companies, as part of their diversity programs, even require all employees to attend carefully structured workplace sensitivity sessions on a regular basis.
In practice, though, it's not uncommon to find work groups whose brand of camaraderie sometimes includes politically incorrect, impolite or even hostile banter.
If that describes your work group, watch out! Without warning, comments that felt like routine ribbing among colleagues can come back to haunt you. They can even cost you your job, and more.
That's one lesson that emerges from a discrimination lawsuit that a government agency recently filed against Merrill Lynch. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the investment firm under the Civil Rights Act, after an Iranian Muslim who worked as an analyst there complained he'd been verbally harassed about his national origin and his religion.
We spoke with George L. Lenard, an employment lawyer who handles discrimination cases. He makes a strong case that it's smart to stay out of any workplace chatter that could be seen as disrespectful to a group -- even if it's the norm among people you work with, and turning your back will make you appear standoffish. If you go along with the crowd and are unlucky enough to get cast as the bad guy in a discrimination complaint, "There is a high likelihood that you are going to be scapegoated and pushed out of there," warns Lenard, who writes a blog about workplace issues and is also the managing partner at St. Louis law firm Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris.
See the full story on JobsintheMoney.
EEOC Lawsuit Spotlights Perils of Workplace Culture [JITM]
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