When communicating in the workplace, Orange County Human Resources administrator Jackie Cuevas warns professionals that using “targeted words” in emails could be unsettling to the company’s HR professionals and pose further issues.
According to Business Insider, Cuevas, who works for a nonprofit organization, said emails containing “bullying” or “harassed” may prompt HR to investigate communications further. In prior cases, Cuevas noted that she’d witnessed small issues become bigger. These targeted words could lead to termination or someone being written up. She advised, “If you need to use targeted words or have an issue with a colleague, ask yourself: Can this be resolved by talking to the colleague I’m having issues with or talking to my supervisor? Or is it a bigger issue where I do need to go to HR?”
Cuevas advised against using company time and property to address other coworker’s behavior. Any swearing can likely be seen by HR and possibly documented.
A blog published by HireQuotient in July further addresses the impact of words in the workplace. The article lists terms that may trigger or “scare” the HR department. According to HireQuotient, words like “harassment,” “discrimination,” and “lawsuit” all pose legal red flags that HR may be obligated to address immediately. Instead, the outlet suggests using other dialogue to express concerns, describe behavior, and seek solutions. One alternative to address discrimination might be: “I feel that my contributions are being overlooked due to my background.” If you have concerns regarding harassment, it may be a safer approach to use descriptions like “uncomfortable behavior” or “inappropriate comments.” Other words to avoid include toxic, burnout, retaliation, and unfair.
Cuevas said employees should remember to double-check email recipients. “I’ve seen people accidentally hit ‘reply all’ when they meant to send a message to just one person or chat on Zoom and not realize everyone could see,” she said. If you say something inappropriate to someone through email, recipients still have access to those messages even if they are deleted on your end.
Some policies permit HR professionals to retrieve prior communications via email, other chats, and Slack through the company’s IT department in cases where an investigation is launched. Deleted emails may be stored in server archives or backups so that companies can access an employee’s email for any reason, if necessary.
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