Reply to New boss uses the word retarded. Still. In 2018. At work!

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m in HR and I’ve received this complaint before, actually, and while I agree it’s not a word to be used in the office, [b]I’ve not worked in an office where using it was against any rule like using the n-word is.[/b] If someone uses that, there’s sensitivity training to be done. Oddly, the word retarded is not considered insensitive or racist.

I’ve also never heard of “spirit animal” being racist either. That’s a new one to me.

What I always did when I got this complaint was just talk to the person about work appropriate language.  Most admitted that they use it so regularly that they don’t think about it or realize they said it at work.

Sometimes inappropriate things slip out. I just had to have a talk with someone whose coworker was offended she said “well f*ck me gently!” when her computer froze and she lost part of a project she hadn’t saved. She didn’t even realize she said it because she said that’s what she says at home when something goes wrong. [/quote]

If that's true, then your office's anti-discrimination policies are really deficient.  Discrimination on the basis of disability is unlawful under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and most state laws (including the DC Human Rights Act).  Harassment based on disability is accordingly unlawful where it is severe or pervasive or otherwise creates an intimidating or hostile work environment.  Most good policies will encourage employees to report issues before they become severe and pervasive, so as to allow the employer to fix the problem prior to it becoming actionable.  Your employer's policy really should cover the use of epithets that make fun of someone on the basis of a disability, just as the policy covers the use of epithets that make fun of someone due to their race.  
I agree that this is likely not a terminable offense, in and of itself.  The proper result is probably counseling for the employee involved.  (However, in this case, with a new manager who is using the word in front of clients, I wouldn't be surprised if the upper management just decided that they had made a bad decision hiring someone who is generally clueless about social norms .... not what you want in management.)[/quote]
[b]You are describing a horror of an office[/b].[/quote]

You think it's a "horror" for an office policy to prohibit the use of offensive discriminatory terminology in the workplace?  Really?  Or is it just the R word that you're okay with?  What about offensive terms for Latinos, gay people, Jews, Muslims? Are you okay with managers casually throwing those around as well?  I am describing the most basic workplace anti-discrimination policy -- they ALL prohibit the use of discriminatory epithets.  If your office doesn't, they are VERY much behind the times.

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