Work Relationships

[Nirvana]

Being self employed most of my life and also being the boss I have had little experience as an employee with peers. It has been almost a year working in the same department with the same 5 people.

The other day one of these people told me I was racist. I was insulted and it hurt my feelings. This person and I have been on very friendly terms never a cross word.

Background: 2 days before as a reward for no reportable OSHA incidents the company draws 6 names for a $250 bonus, from a bucket out of all shifts. My name was drawn. The day before that this person and I had a lovely conversation about how we both grew up and we have always [seemed to me] been on the same page as far as work etc.

This comment to me came about as I was trying to figure out why this person was not supervising the person they were training. I know they do not enjoy training new people and they mostly ignore them. This person and the person they were training are both black and at this time we were packing candy. It does get warm in the area but under no circumstance are we to have any fan pointing in the direction of the candy. New person is not going to know this and since no one else made the effort to explain to them I did and I also said maybe our supervisor could answer any questions they have.

Not 15 minutes later the fan was on again. This time it was in the path of the forklift traffic. So I made the comment to the person training that their trainee sure seems to like the fan. The words that came out of their mouth and I quote" You are really racist". I was taken aback and said what are you taking about. No response.

My job that day was relief so I was making sure no one on the line got behind and it is also my job to make sure the line runs smoothly plus I do the other person's job when they are on break.

I have to say I dunno what to do about this and is doing nothing the correct response? I am not racist. No one has ever said that to me in my entire life.

[DanaC]

I presume cunt punting is out of the question?

[Clodfobble]

Either they're the type of person who manufactures offense out of thin air, in which case bringing it up again won't be helpful to you, or they are a normal person who was just having a bad day, misunderstood you, etc., in which case they already know they were wrong and bringing it up would only embarrass them.

If you think this person might develop a grudge or be vindictive, it might be a good idea to have a private and quiet conversation with someone in HR, just to let them know what happened. That way, if something does come up in the future, you will already have your side of the story heard by those who need to hear it.

[footfootfoot]

What CF said. In spades.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

What CF said. In spades.

Racist.

[Nirvana]

Thank you CF I was thinking along those same lines. What I want to know, is a conversation with HR ever quiet and private? I don't want to call someone on the carpet but I feel very much like cma.

I had an incident 2 months prior with another gal who is part time and resents it greatly they have not hired her for full time and she is the kind that imagines slights and she told a supervisor while we were packing candy opposite each other that I would not let her touch me. WTF? The line is fast paced so each side grabs bags to pack, Some go for the same bag and end in a tug of war, my packing style is to wait til the other has a bag in hand and then I will grab for one. She has made the same type of complaints against other people and no one even talked to me about it except the supervisor who told me the former info and not to worry about her.

I have finally developed a better relationship with my supervisor [background: she realized another team member was really a shit stirrer and the stuff happening to her had to do with her not me] she now understands she can delegate to me because I am there to help her. She is like me, a toucher and a hugger She is black. I would so hate to go back in time because this other person might poison her mind.

Working is so much drama

[DanaC]

Mention it without identifying who said it. Stress you are bringing it up off the record - that it is probably nothing but you want her aware just in case.

[Nirvana]

Good idea I just wish I could get this idea out of my head " HR's role is to protect the institution from liability rather than to support the target", as though these two interests are mutually exclusive.

[Undertoad]

If someone calls me racist they had better be prepared for a fucking shitstorm. Right down their throat. Immediately. No supervisors, just me, and them, and words and spittle that they will understand.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Nirvana

Good idea I just wish I could get this idea out of my head " HR's role is to protect the institution from liability rather than to support the target", as though these two interests are mutually exclusive.

HR's unofficial organisational role - true. But HR is made up of individual people - and most individual people want to do a decent job - and every HR person will have been told that a key part of their job is ensuring good working relations amongst staff. Protecting the institution from liability is important - but so is protecting the institution from the deleterious effects of bad people management and feuds - up to and including the loss of good workers.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Nirvana

... So I made the comment to the person training that their trainee sure seems to like the fan. The words that came out of their mouth and I quote" You are really racist". ...

Since the circumstance was that the trainee was improperly using the fan and the trainer was not correcting it, the way you phrased your comment on the situation could have been taken as a sarcastic inference that the infraction was ignored because they're both black.

In the workplace, avoid saying that someone seems this; or, seems that. Stereotypes are seemingly. Say that someone did this; or, did that and there's a pattern (e.g. of using the fan a lot). This helps attribute all parties behaviors to individual discretion rather than shared backgrounds.

That said, next time cunt punt her by retorting: "That's religious discrimination!" When she asks you to explain, demand that she explain her remark and work it out. Until then, let it go. If there's a subsequent problem with the same person, take it to your supervisor. Doing an end run around your black supervisor by going to HR after a single untoward remark only reinforces your cow-orkers allegation of racism when the odds are that she just didn't want the inferred criticism and knows you well enough to say what will rock you back. That you won a bonus and she didn't is a red herring.
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Just kidding, I made it all up. She's obviously incensed because the money went to whitey!

[classicman]

Originally Posted by DanaC

But HR is made up of individual people - and most individual people -

(COVER THEIR ASS)

Originally Posted by DanaC

and every HR person will have been told that a key part of their job is to -

(COVER THE COMPANY'S ASS)

[Nirvana]

Thanks Sexobon I do think most of the problem is the part time gal who is trying to cause IMO racial divisiveness within the entire shift by claiming others are racist when her own job performance is questioned.

Watching how I phrase things is good advice.

[Nirvana]

UT cow orker is male and bigger than me

[monster]

Is there any way they could have been trying to joke with you and you just didn't realize because you were caught up in the responsibility of your job?