Do you work for Al Qaeda? That's fucking weird. Does this mean that whoever complained is part of ISIS?SonOfVoorhees said:
We know what OP said. It's in his post.MarsAtlas said:
I got a written warning for saying this at work?
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Number 1 lesson about any kind of thing like this, do not vomit your indignation onto the Internet until after HR have found in your favour. Other than that, I agree, total bollocks and take it your boss. If they don't care, take it to his boss or if you feel really screwed either directly to HR or your Union, if you're a member - otherwise find your local impartiality committee (if you have one).SonOfVoorhees said:
If you do not understand what it is you have been warned about, then you may wish to consider asking your manager or the person giving you the warning, or your HR team, or your nominated staff representative to clarify. A written warning sounds serious to me and I think it should deserve serious attention - that's what warnings are meant to do.
It is natural to feel like you're being treated like a child when someone criticises you formally at work. They are taking a very parental role and that can push people into feeling 'told off', which in turn can lead to confused acquiescence or rebellion - neither of which will be helpful to you. It might take time, self awareness and conversation with others to really understand the warning, why it was given, whether it was justified and then whether you will accept it as congruent with your beliefs.
The tone of your post seems angry. I am reading your phrase "pathetic children" as seeming to be a indicator that you, perhaps, are too heated to see clearly.
Seek first to understand, only then to be understood.
Either the warning was justified based on accepted rules of workplace conduct or it was not. If you are not clear on why it is justified, then this forum cannot help you. Perhaps the rules of conduct are not clear - perhaps they have been poorly applied - perhaps words have been misconstrued or misheard or misunderstood? Even if it was justified based on your workplace policies, you still may not agree with it. The warning may serve as an indication that you are not perfectly suited for the workplace environment you find yourself in. What you decide to do about that is up to you - but acting in the heat of the moment, or acting without understanding seems folly.
I would also urge you not to automatically consider this an example of an ultra-PC society. That seems to be taking an individual workplace incident (one moment in three years of work) and assigning it far-reaching scope.
I think most people consider themselves easy to get on with and inoffensive by nature towards people who are reasonable - and take pride in that. We hate being wrong and we hate losing. It comes as a bit of a shock when something we say upsets someone deeply by accident.
Anyway - best of luck getting to the bottom of it.
It is natural to feel like you're being treated like a child when someone criticises you formally at work. They are taking a very parental role and that can push people into feeling 'told off', which in turn can lead to confused acquiescence or rebellion - neither of which will be helpful to you. It might take time, self awareness and conversation with others to really understand the warning, why it was given, whether it was justified and then whether you will accept it as congruent with your beliefs.
The tone of your post seems angry. I am reading your phrase "pathetic children" as seeming to be a indicator that you, perhaps, are too heated to see clearly.
Seek first to understand, only then to be understood.
Either the warning was justified based on accepted rules of workplace conduct or it was not. If you are not clear on why it is justified, then this forum cannot help you. Perhaps the rules of conduct are not clear - perhaps they have been poorly applied - perhaps words have been misconstrued or misheard or misunderstood? Even if it was justified based on your workplace policies, you still may not agree with it. The warning may serve as an indication that you are not perfectly suited for the workplace environment you find yourself in. What you decide to do about that is up to you - but acting in the heat of the moment, or acting without understanding seems folly.
I would also urge you not to automatically consider this an example of an ultra-PC society. That seems to be taking an individual workplace incident (one moment in three years of work) and assigning it far-reaching scope.
I think most people consider themselves easy to get on with and inoffensive by nature towards people who are reasonable - and take pride in that. We hate being wrong and we hate losing. It comes as a bit of a shock when something we say upsets someone deeply by accident.
Anyway - best of luck getting to the bottom of it.
Was this in the US? It sounds like it happened in the US. They tend to be the ones to ignore all common sense and critical thinking when it comes to what you're allowed or not allowed to say or think or do. Land of the free and all that jazz. That is, until you utter a thought of your own.
A friend of mine got a warning in work recently for giving a freezing homeless man a cup of tea, said homeless man then proceeded to ask someone nearby if they had any spare change and the person who was asked freaked the fuck out and started blaming my friend for the homeless man being there.
In short, I find that most workplace warnings tend to be over trivial nonsense.
In short, I find that most workplace warnings tend to be over trivial nonsense.
I think I wasn't there. I think I don't know the context, like what tone you took or whom you said this to. I think I can in no way give a fair opinion on a one-sided story devoid of any details, but I think I can tell you I am immediately suspicious, given that you phrase this to almost certainly be a begging the question fallacy.SonOfVoorhees said:
Don't think we're getting the whole story.
Did you just blurt this out in the middle of a meeting discussing the yearly revenue report?
Because that'd be worth a written warning.
Did you just blurt this out in the middle of a meeting discussing the yearly revenue report?
Because that'd be worth a written warning.
Huh, not discussing politics at the workplace? Is that an American thing? I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm genuinely curious. Now granted, I've only ever held temp jobs, a month at most, but I think I've ended up discussing politics and/or religion at all of them. It's never been an issue. Now granted, I don't hold any extreme political opinions, but I did end up disagreeing with co-workers on various matters. Never ended up causing any kind of kerfuffle though. But then, I've heard people say that you shouldn't talk about politics with friends and family either, so who the fuck are you supposed to talk about politics with?
If this is the situation, I find it rather depressing, and a loss for society as a whole. Public discourse should take place in people's daily lives and not just in the media. It's an important part of how people inform themselves, challenge their views, and finally reach opinions. If all of that gets banned...well it's no wonder politics in the USA have become this polarized. You tend to think of people with differing political views in a very negative light, until you actually talk to them and realize that they might be decent folks who reached different conclusions or have different priorities.
If this is the situation, I find it rather depressing, and a loss for society as a whole. Public discourse should take place in people's daily lives and not just in the media. It's an important part of how people inform themselves, challenge their views, and finally reach opinions. If all of that gets banned...well it's no wonder politics in the USA have become this polarized. You tend to think of people with differing political views in a very negative light, until you actually talk to them and realize that they might be decent folks who reached different conclusions or have different priorities.
I don't...how is ISIS even a political issue? It would be like saying "Oh can't say anything bad about Hitler or Nazis, we don't want to offend them!" If what you say is true then its ridiculous...side note, why are people so obsessed with "no politics" in the workplace? I haven't worked anywhere like that...As long as your respectful of other people's opinions their was never an issue for me, then again I've never worked anywhere super professional, but how does that make sense, if you are a professional adult working with other professional adults, you should be able to discuss politics without offending anyone correct?
It's not a matter of right or wrong. You can be perfectly in the right and still get fired for it.SonOfVoorhees said:
At the end of the day the rules of professional behaviour for a given workplace are what your boss sets. If their rule is that they only hire people who jump up and down when they walk in the door and shout the company motto at the top of their lungs, well that's what they're paying you for.... You conduct yourself as you please on your own time. You're being paid to behave as they want you to, and that's an end to it.
Now as an HR thing, if it went down as you seem to imply, it's unwise to go straight to written warnings if no-one's spoken to you before. It's also probably unwise of them to have rules that exacting. That's bad management.
I mean, there are ways to generate a paper-trail, and ways they should be using, but they're part of a more general performance management and improvement programme that they should be doing anyway. Most bosses don't. But then again most bosses are terrible. I mean someone should have sat down with you and asked where you wanted to be next year, you should know what skills you have to develop and what level of performance you have to deliver to get where you want to be....
And this sort of thing gets folded into that process, unless it's something truly egregious.
If I sit down with one of my directs, to talk about something, for instance... well, I hold weekly one to ones with my directs. I have a small pad of paper and I might write,
'23-3-2016 SonOfVoorhees
Professional deportment
Spoken to about avoiding political comments'
And that would be one of the points that we covered in that meeting, along with a whole bunch of other stuff. And then if it got around to us having a dispute where I wanted to fire you... well, shit, I've got six months of those things - I've got 24 documents backing me up that you weren't working with me. Ain't no-one gonna argue with that.
But that's a side issue, you've got a terrible boss. You're not in the wrong. Neither's he or she, really. They're perhaps behaving unwisely. It shouldn't be as big of a thing as it is, but that's probably a manifestation of more general incompetence.
... Now if they tried speaking with you about it, telling you it wasn't acceptable to them, and you argued with them on the other hand... that's totally written warning territory. There is a certain amount of 'It depends quite what you said.'
Well, and I'm operating from the hypothetical that this isn't what he said, he gains the validation one tends to get when one gets a group of people--even strangers--on their side.RedDeadFred said:
Why do people tell tall tales in general? Why do they stretch the truth about such occurrences in real life? What benefit?
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Being PC is like showering. There is no law against not showering but it makes the environment around you more pleasant, same as being PC.
Keep in mind what happened here doesn't sound like a pc issue at all, it sounds like office politics which tend to be overly sensitive.
Keep in mind what happened here doesn't sound like a pc issue at all, it sounds like office politics which tend to be overly sensitive.
As rebellious as I am, there is one thing you should do in a work place no matter how innocent it could sound.
Keep your political and religious opinions to yourself and shut up.
Yes, as much as your statement could be small to you, could mean problems to a few more. It's pointless to even try and fight it. Work environment can be complex as fuck. Trying to get involved leaves you in a fast eating quick sand that can get drag you into hell. Whether it's work place politics or world politics, just keep it shut. Yeah, freedom and all, blah blah, but really where is the line and limit?
Keep your political and religious opinions to yourself and shut up.
Yes, as much as your statement could be small to you, could mean problems to a few more. It's pointless to even try and fight it. Work environment can be complex as fuck. Trying to get involved leaves you in a fast eating quick sand that can get drag you into hell. Whether it's work place politics or world politics, just keep it shut. Yeah, freedom and all, blah blah, but really where is the line and limit?
Nemmerle said it best, "You've got a terrible boss." I worked for a company that had the "Adria Richards" rule years before Donglegate happened. A middle-aged female employee said, "Hello, girls." to 2 women half her age. She got written up for sexual harassment. I got written up for asking for a promotion. I was never happier when that company went out of business.
Having experienced something like this, I would operate under the assumption that they are trying to push you out. Just start looking for something else. You have every right to be angry. In the long run, it doesn't matter if you are right. If they want you gone, they will find a way to let you go.
Having experienced something like this, I would operate under the assumption that they are trying to push you out. Just start looking for something else. You have every right to be angry. In the long run, it doesn't matter if you are right. If they want you gone, they will find a way to let you go.