by Karen Chamchuk

Created on: August 09, 2011   Last Updated: May 02, 2012

The list of ways you can offend your co-workers is long and seems to get grow longer every day. Most people have an internal barometer that tells them when they are crossing the line from funny to offensive. However, there are also those individuals who seem to lack the good judgment to discern what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Unfortunately, many people just close their eyes and hope the offensive person will either shut up or go bug someone else. This strategy doesn’t work. The following are some guidelines for how you can stop politically incorrect comments in your office before they get out of hand.    

Put a name to it      

There are many different categories of inappropriate comments that someone can make in the workplace. Comments can be sexist, racist or homophobic. Comments can show intolerance towards people who are different such as disabled people, overweight people, and people with mental illnesses. Comments can show hatred toward animals. Comments can also be religiously or politically intolerant. Comments can even show intolerance toward the young, the elderly, the wealthy and the homeless. 

Don’t tolerate racism

First of all, let’s examine racist comments. Some people grew up in homes where different races were openly hated. Unfortunately, these individuals often come to work and believe it’s fine to imply that Native and Irish people are drunks, that Scottish people are cheap and that African-American people are thieves. You might be racist yourself and not even be aware of it. There should be a zero tolerance policy towards racist comments in any workplace. If we keep silent when these comments are made, we are sending the message that it’s OK. Instead, we need to do everything we can to counteract the racial stereotypes that still exist.     

Respect different beliefs

What about religiously or politically intolerant comments? Comments about someone’s religion can put them on the defensive in a hurry. No one likes to be told that the God they worship is inaccurate or even nonexistent. If you have been offended by someone’s comments, tell them how you feel as soon as possible. It is likely that they have offended others as well, so speak up and let them know the affect their offhanded comments can have. Comments about the different political parties are not quite as serious. However, they can still be considered offensive

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