Watch our short video on banter for more detail
Review your culture
Check your policies
Take complaints seriously
We all like a little bit of fun at work. After all, we spend a lot of time there, and it’s no fun working in miserable silence.
And whilst gentle humour is good, sometimes it can leave a sour taste in people’s mouths.
Banter, nicknames and name-calling can very quickly cross the line into bullying, sexism or racism, even when meant in a joking way.
And the first you’ll know about it is when an employee lodges a grievance, hands in their notice, or even worse puts in a tribunal claim.
In a survey carried out in 2018, 4% of the thousand people questioned had actually left a job due to negative banter, and with discrimination claims on the rise, how can you protect yourself?
- Review your culture and encourage the right kind of humour.
- Create awareness around banter. Review your policies.
- Make sure your employees have a forum to air their concerns with you
- Take each complaint seriously. Never brush it off as just a joke
Do you have questions about bullying and harassment?
Give us a call at CUBE HR, we’ll be happy to advise you and we have policies and templates available to meet every HR need.
Why not check out our other blog on the same topic Bullying and Harassment – 3 Things You Need to Know
You can also watch a range of other videos on our YouTube channel
