No more ‘guys’ in the workplace, please
Print Edition
THE word “guys” should be avoided in the office, a new Australian campaign has said, arguing that such terms exclude minority groups.
The Diversity Council of Australia campaign launched yesterday asks people to be open to changing phrases they have always thought “normal.”
One such word is “guys,” which is commonly used in Australia to refer to a group including men and women.
A campaign video shows a group of women cringing at being referred to as “girls,” and a worker in a wheelchair questioning the use of the expression “walk the talk.”
Former chief of the Australian Army, David Morrison, who is spearheading the #WordsAtWork campaign, said the use of inclusive language should be promoted.
“For some time I have been advocating that everyone in our society, from all genders, races, creeds, ages, disabilities, religions or sexual orientations, be given a chance to achieve their potential,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in many workplaces, this isn’t always the case. People use language to denigrate others and to take away their self-respect. Sometimes it happens unconsciously, but the effect is the same.”
The new campaign was not about creating a “language police” but simply about encouraging people to use terms at work that were respectful, accurate, and relevant to everyone, he said in the statement.
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