'Ginger' taunts about red hair could be next big form of workplace discrimination
A tribunal decision has prompted new fears that 'gingerism' could be the next big form of workplace discrimination.
Last week, a waitress was awarded £17,618 compensation for unfair dismissal over taunts about her red hair.
Sarah Primmer suffered a series of lewd and embarrassing comments and was eventually sacked from her job.
Personnel Today research earlier this year revealed 81% of readers thought it was acceptable to tease people about ginger hair.
A culture of 'lookism' is now emerging in the workplace, with gingers often the butt of office jokes, the survey said.
This story was first published on Personnel Today
Labels: culture, employment practice, equality, ginger, workplace, workplace discrimination
posted by Ian Dodds Consulting @ 11:18 am
15 comments
15 Comments:
I am amazed that it is still seen as socially acceptable to make defamatory remarks about redheads. Given that it is a hereditary factor and that redheads are a minority group, it can only be viewed as racial discrimination. I am pleased to hear that may soon be treated as seriously as other forms of discrimination.
I am amazed sometimes at the things that people get upset about if the comments were good natured then they should be taken as such; but if they become rude or if the person that is receiving the jokes makes it know that they make them feel uncomfortable then it should stop. If it doesn't stop then they should let it be know that they are going to take action. In most situations people will stop it if they know that it is crossing someone threshold of tolerance.
I would hate to see a world with no joking, how boring would that be.
Discrimination can only be understood by those that have been subject to it! Have you been bullied, victimised, or worst still, ignored just because you have red hair? Have you missed out on opportunities or love because of your hair colour? Have you been prejudged? I have - all my life!!! Have I hit out as some would have you believe is a trait of red heads - No!
To say that jokes about hair colour are OK is crap as this is no different than jokes about skin colour, height or any other physical difference.
I suggest that the reason that discrimination against red heads is increasing is because bullies are always looking for an easy target and the historical targets of their bullying are now protected by law.
It will be a good day when all forms of discrimination are dead and people can live in harmony!
Oh come on! When is someone going to stop segregating and dividing and take an intelligent look at diversity?
Whatever excuse you use to humiliate or belittle someone else ( skin colour, background, gender, hair colour), it's just an excuse, a surface reason.
The real reason is fear, resistance, ignorance, a lack of understanding. These are the issues we need to be working with, not looking at quotas for redheads.
To me, diversity offers a real opportunity to train people in developing the empathy, emotional intelligence, listening and self awareness skills to challenge themselves and their perceptions and behaviours. Wilhelm Reich said that:
"Society has failed to do everything in its power to give people the skills to take responsibility for their freedom."
I think this statement is very useful. This, combined with the English embarassment around emotion and a lack of understanding of our own motivation combines to create the following result - a world that does not link cause and consequence and that neglects the emotional impact of its behaviour on others.
The answer to workplace bullying is not going to be found in further legislation but in intelligent dialogue and skills building. Good diversity training can transform our understanding of and relations with others, building skills and capacity for change.
Erica
www.thelifeproject.co.uk
It's very interesting to witness the slow transition of this prejudice from socially acceptable to socially unacceptable. I imagine the same thing happened with racism in the 70s.
In case you're interested, I document examples of gingerism in our media.
I am African American female and I have always been discrimnated against on a daily basis here in America. When I received my Bachelors Degree in Business Marketing, the only job I could find was a job as a Purchasing clerk making less than $30,000 a year. My boss on the other hand, was a white male whos father was friends to the Head Purchaing Managers. Although, my boss and I both received our Bachelor degrees in the same year. He became my boss because he was a white male and his father knew people in high places. So I am here to say that the color of ones hair and the color of ones skin does make a difference, we just have to fight a little harder on a daily basis.
IADT NK. SOCS201
I do feel that we tend to pick on differences and now we are poking at people based on their hair color. Sometimes discrimination is based on the minority and thier differences and that is not right! We are all different, and it seems that race is not the only uncontrolable factor of dicrimination, now it is hair too.
Why can't we have issues with hateful and dangerous peole that could eventually cause us harm or create more hate, why someone with a hair color or texture?
I could definitely see how redheads could get discriminated. It's very sad we bring "jokes" so far that they are used a mechanism for civil rights.
I agree with erica, maybe we should be focusing on developing worldly perspectives rather than having to create laws because we don't know how to understand differences.
Living with a "redhead" is interesting because they also say redheads have a very short temperment, and little things could trigger them to become agressive. Also my brother has had more job opurtunites then I have. I do believe that hereditary factors should be left out because people could easily dye their hair to get more job oppertunities.
Kyleigh
CYW Student.
I think everyone needs to susceptible to people's feelings and to address people the way you want to be addressed.
I don't understand why, in 2010 people are still finding the smallest things to make fun of and frown down upon. Being born with ginger hair is as uncontrollable as being born black. Although you can change hair colors, personally, I think it's ridiculous to dye your hair because you got made fun of. What happened to individuality? I have heard numerous girls say that they wished they had ginger hair so it can't be that bad.
I don't think that you have to be a victim of discrimination to recognize it. I personally can speak on that part, I have not been a victim in this situation but I did go to school with a girl that had red hair. I could tell when someone said something about the color of her hair, so in this case I wasn’t the victim but I realized what was happening. I don’t think that it is right for people to pick on people that have red hair, but I also don’t think that people should pick on anyone because of how they look either.
I've always wondered why this was never addressed before. Thanks for passing it along.
No one should be discriminated based on their hair color, skin color, race, ethnicity, etc. Discrimination should not be tolerated ever, especially in a workplace. Discrimination comes from people stereotyping others before they know anything about the person they are meeting. Blonde and ginger jokes are stereotypes of people with this hair color but hair color does not define someone’s personality. It is appalling that discrimination of any sorts is socially acceptable but it is not surprising. The United States has had several discriminating laws in the not too distant past. One such law existed until 1960 banned marriage between two people of different races. Thankfully, laws such as these are being ruled as unconstitutional and being overturned.
I feel that people don't realize how bad words can hurt, people can make fun of everyone one around them and not realize that their feelings are hurt. You never know how someone is really feeling on the inside. The only way to make things comfortable for everyone is to not make fun of anyone, realize who is around you and make a conscience decision to except everyone for who they are.
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