Blog
Should the "N-word" be used in racial harassment training?
I've developed and conducted harassment training for over 25 years. My trait is not to sanitize words or behaviors when describing harassment situations. I try to be realistic about behavior to help people understand the serious impact it has on people in the workplace. I tell people that if they find the language or behavior offensive, they should because it is. On occasion, I've used the n-word to accurately relate the workplace situations I've been involved in. At times, participants will tell me that they found my use of the n-word to be offensive, and I should stop using it. Lately, I've refrained from using it and simply refer to the language as the "n-word." I sometimes get the same feedback when using certain sexual words in training.
What is your opinion on this issue? Should trainers ever use the "n-word" in training sessions even if it is relating a workplace situation? How do employers handle this issue in harassment training? I welcome your opinions. Thanks.
Comments (0) Add your own
Add a New Comment
All fields are required. HTML is not allowed. New lines will be converted automatically to line breaks. E-mail addresses will not be published. Comments will be approved before they will be published.