Dear Diversity@Work:
I am a new Canadian in a leadership role in a company.  I don’t have English as a barrier because I studied English quite intensely before I came to Canada. However, I never imagined that people would be complaining and challenging my choice of words.  After all, I was educated in English and so I believe I know how it should be spoken.

I am starting to feel that everything in this country is so fraught with political correctness that you cannot have a decent conversation without the whole world jumping on you because you have used words like “crippled” or “coloured people” or  “Indian” or “homosexual”, etc.  I am so scared of opening my mouth now that I think I am going to lose my leadership position, so what do I do?
Dumb-Founded

Dear Dumb-Founded:
You have raised several important issues within your letter. For one, it is true that when you learn a second language, depending on when and how you learned it,you may have not been taught inclusive/politically correct vocabulary. The language of human differences is constantly evolving, based on an understanding of equity and respect for the various groups that live among us. It makes it challenging for the average Canadian to keep up with the “politically correct” terminology, let alone a person who has learned English outside of Canada!  For this reason, I promise not to “jump on you” for not keeping current with inclusive language.

Let’s take, for example, the term “crippled” which was used in the recent past to describe   people with a physical disability.  In previous generations, there was a belief that the disability came first and foremost.  Over time, however, with more education, opportunities for people with disabilities and a greater recognition of their abilities and contributions, the term “crippled” has become dated.  It is highly disrespectful as it does not recognize the full person and their potential.  Today our government recognizes the full rights of people with disabilities because of our human rights legislation and the Ontarians with Disabilities Act.  This is an example of how a change in societal perceptions has changed the language. Or you could argue that the language has helped to change the societal perceptions of the differently-abled. 

It sounds as if you feel that your job is threatened because you seemed to be using language that is not respectful to your co-workers or to management. The question I would ask you is:  What do you do when they challenge you about the language that you use?  Do you apologize?  Do you ask for clarification to help you understand?  Or, do you get defensive, and say things like, “In my country these words are okay” or “What’s the big deal?” 

If you are coming across as defensive, your fellow workers may feel that you really don’t care.  However, if you ask questions about the words, apologize and show with your actions that you are not biased, racist or sexist, that is a different story.  You will need to work to change their attitudes about you by using inclusive language but, most importantly, through your actions.

The second point I would like to make about your situation, is this: it is a good idea for employers who are concerned about diversity and inclusion to provide materials and diversity awareness training.  Inclusive language benefits and respects all of us.  I would be very curious to know what your employer’s plan is to help you to address this issue of politically incorrect language.  As I mentioned before, it is really difficult to be “up” on all of the terms all the time.

Lastly, where were you before you started your current job?  Surely, you had used this language before, but were you challenged at all by previous employers or perhaps by service providers who helped you to get the job?  It is my belief that as Canadians we so often are “too polite” and do not correct or help new Canadians with some of the language difficulties that they may have because we are afraid that we may alienate them or hurt their feelings.  In my consultancy, I see this all the time. 

Misunderstandings easily occur because of misperceptions or sometimes as a result of poor choice of words.  No one tells them that they may be coming across as abrupt, rude, racist etc, because they don’t want to offend them.  However, avoiding these conversations tends to cause more harm than good in the long run.  The reality is that most of us really care about making a good impression.  This is especially true for a new Canadian who is ‘learning the organizational ropes.’ After all, wouldn’t you want someone to save you from embarrassing yourself on a daily basis at work?

If you have a question for Ask a Consultant, email it to evelina@yourdiversityatwork.com. Evelina Silveira is the founder of Diversity At Work, www.yourdiversityatwork.com, a business dedicated to diversity management training and consulting.