Ministers not happy with new Respect at Work rules
As part of new workplace behaviour advice, NSW government ministers have been reportedly told to avoid using the word “mate”, as they recently undertook "Respect at Work" training sessions.
Dominic Perrottet's government ministers have been advised against using the word “mate” in a work setting, against drinking alcohol in the office, and to not yell at staff.
“I use ‘mate’ all the time – it’s as Australian as you can get. How can it be offensive?” one minister said.
Those who attended described the training as “PC insanity” with other unnamed ministers also criticising the course.
A critical part of the training was ensuring that all sexual assault allegations are reported appropriately.
The two-and-and-a-half-hour modules were run by an external “diversity and inclusion” consultant. The training came after a review into bullying and harassment by former sex discrimination commissioner Pru Goward.
Banter and gossip were deemed a no-no, while ministers were also told to invite everyone in the office if heading out for lunch or after-work drinks.
Veterans Minister David Elliott took issue with the alcohol ban, saying he keeps a bottle of whiskey in his office to “placate (his) parliamentary colleagues”.
Delegating the work of a “junior” staff member to a more “senior” person can now also be construed as bullying.
The Respect at Work training sessions are expected to be run regularly.
According to a new “inclusive language guide” released by The University of Washington Information Technology department , words such as “grandfather,” “housekeeping,” “minority,” “ninja,” and “lame” are also considered “problematic words”.
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