Some sexist insults affect both men and women. In this case, the insult is that the guy is so emotional, he’s like a woman…and not just a woman, but a woman with her period. As well, this is insulting to women because it’s saying that when they have their period, they are also too emotional. Either way, it’s insulting and insensitive (which is ironic since this employee is saying a person has too many emotions). This kind of “dig” is often seen as light, so sometimes people don’t think it’s a big deal. But with each little dig, it reminds men and women that they have to act certain ways, based on our gender roles and that women may not be good at work…at least once a month. It’s just insulting so it needs to be addressed.
TRY THIS:
If no one else has responded (via radio or email), it might be best to talk to the person who made the comment, directly and as soon as possible. Perhaps with a quick and direct conversation, this employee will give an apology for everyone to hear. That would be the best approach. And the apology should also include a face-to-face or phone apology directly to the man who he insulted. You can’t just have people speak one-to-one because others heard it and everyone needs to know that it was wrong and has been corrected.
HOW ABOUT:
“I’m looking for you to apologize in the same way you sent out that insult. I want it to come from you and it needs to be sincere. Men and women at this workplace don’t need to be insulted and stereotyped about the gender roles you think they need to take on. Also, right away, you need to talk to “Bob” one-on-one and tell him you had no right to say that and you were wrong. Hopefully he heard the apology you’ll be giving to everyone, but in case he didn’t, you can tell him you did that. You may have thought this was a joke and you might not have meant much harm by it, but to be clear, I don’t think it’s funny to men or women. It’s just degrading and if you need more explanation why, I’d be happy to talk about it further…but I’m expecting quick action on this or I’ll be talking to you about discipline.”
Stephen Hammond, B.A., J.D., CSP
If you have any questions, please contact Stephen
