Not to disagree with what Rey said, but there are also extremes that people go to just to exercise their "right to a non-harrassing workplace". Most people exclaim, "Harrassment!" only if they see that it benefits them.
We have a very old computer programmer named Manfred that works for our university. He basically built our legacy system that is soon to be replaced by a packaged product. When people would try to refer to his home-built system, they would refer to it as the AS400 program, AS400 student system, Business System, Enterprise Business System, Aspen, Sequoia, etc. It had so many names yet not everyone knew what we were talking about. So, one day, I coined the term, "Mansoft", and people knew exactly what it meant. A coworker of mine had domain adminstrator permissions, but certainly did not need those permissions for his job responsibilities. I made it clear to our VP that we really needed to restrict access to the domain admin group and, therefore, the coworker was removed from that group. Well, my coworker ran to HR and put in a complaint that I was harrassing Manfred, and my coworker, by using the term Mansoft. He said it was derogatory to Manfred and it affected my coworker personally because he had to tolerate listening to me say it. So, my pussy-assed VP at the time told me not to say Mansoft anymore. The HR director said it was not an issue and the entire thing was dropped and not put on my record. However, I still can't believe that my VP actually caved and told me not to say it anymore. You see, that is the power of fear. And corporate lawyers know how to make that fast buck regarding the inappropriate use of language. Hmmm. Should I sue the guy that yelled, "Shit!" when he screwed up a server? How do I know he wasn't talking about potty play? So, from my experience, any word, real or not, can get a guy in trouble. It just depends on the mood of the accuser. M!ke -----Original Message----- From: Rey Bango [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 8:06 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: Re: Language... Issac, If you believe that someone's use of foul language in the workplace is acceptable because that's the way they behave outside of the office, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. I'd recommend you go and consult with human resource professionals and attorneys from big firms to get their opinions on that especially when it makes other workers feel uncomfortable. Rey... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Logware (www.logware.us): a new and convenient web-based time tracking application. Start tracking and documenting hours spent on a project or with a client with Logware today. Try it for free with a 15 day trial account. http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=67 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:215106 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.4 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
