To think work are being ridiculous

[Dolphin8765]

For work the main lanyard we are issued is a purple wire thin lanyard (photo attached). Myself and some other colleagues don’t like thin lanyards like that. The only other lanyard we are issued is wider like a normal lanyard, it’s a pride lanyard with the company logo on. We’ve asked work if we can buy and use our own lanyard and we were told. Aibu to think work are being a bit strict and ridiculous? What difference does it make if we use our own lanyard?

[Ktime]

@DashboardConfessional

This is the weirdest thing I've read on here today.

If I had 99 problems, the thickness of my lanyard would not be one.

Lots of people have mentioned sensory issues upthread. Just because you don’t have them doesn’t mean other’s don’t.

[Ourladycheesusedatum]

@AnnoyedFromSlough

How on earth are you wearing your lanyard in order for it to 'dig in'?

Well mine carries a bunch of keys as well as my id and a couple of fobs, not a jailer but feel like it some days.
However as long as mine has no rude words I can wear whichever lanyard I buy.
I bought an extra long one cos opening doors with my keys meant bending down at each door and after a day my back ached. A thin lanyard would hurt after a few hours.

[Ktime]

A thin lanyard would hurt after a few hours.

Pretty much the most useful words here.

[DashboardConfessional]

@Ktime

Lots of people have mentioned sensory issues upthread. Just because you don’t have them doesn’t mean other’s don’t.

I must have missed where the OP said she has sensory issues.

(Spoiler - I didn't)

[Testina]

@Dolphin8765

It is not a non-issue!

Well, it’s definitely an issue if you can’t wear the company issued lanyard that meets your “not wire thin” requirements because people might think you’re a gay 😱

What’s your issue with the rainbow lanyard?

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

@Testina

Well, it’s definitely an issue if you can’t wear the company issued lanyard that meets your “not wire thin” requirements because people might think you’re a gay 😱

What’s your issue with the rainbow lanyard?

I wouldn’t wear the rainbow lanyard, not because people might think I’m ‘a gay’, but because I don’t want to be associated with the erosion of women’s rights that a certain part is hell bent on.

[Mortimercat]

@Ktime

YANBU. Cabin Crew are too controlled. Do you have to wear a lanyard? I have sensory issues so hate them touching my neck. I use one of clips attached to my belt loop.

So how would having a thicker one touching your neck help? Surely that is even more contact. I can only maintain that OP makes no sense, particularly as it wouldn’t be touching her neck anyway, cabin crew will have a shirt or dress with a collar.

I can only think that the real complaint is that the alternative lanyard is linked to a cause. Now that I think would have been a valid complaint. Unless I worked for a specific cause, I don’t want my work uniform to be linked to anything.

[discobrain]

It's absolutely a non issue. Grow up.

[Emotionalsupportviper]

@dreamingbohemian

Yes you were right

So hate speech is just 'entitled to our own opinions'

Hard to believe its 2023 and people are still pulling this shit

Declining to adopt a political stance is not "hate speech".

[ilovesooty]

@Emotionalsupportviper

Declining to adopt a political stance is not "hate speech".

She didn't say it was.

The comparison to the swastika is another matter.

[ilovesooty]

And it seems that the swastika reference has been deleted, so MNHQ evidently decided it breached the talk guidelines.

I didn't report it as I wasn't sure it would be classified as hate speech by MNHQ but I'm glad they've acted to delete it.

[Emotionalsupportviper]

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

I wouldn’t wear the rainbow lanyard, not because people might think I’m ‘a gay’, but because I don’t want to be associated with the erosion of women’s rights that a certain part is hell bent on.

This. ⬆

Unless I worked for a specific cause, I don’t want my work uniform to be linked to anything.

And this. ⬆

So how would having a thicker one touching your neck help?

Because it spreads the weight @Mortimercat , and is less uncomfortable. OP's employers are obviously aware of this preference by some staff, otherwise they wouldn't offer two thicknesses of lanyard.

[Rosula]

@Codlingmoths

I can see why this is an issue. What about the suggestion to braid 3 purple ones together? In some cases the company really would be at fault if they didn’t let you use another lanyard, sensory issues could be a bar with the purple one and not everyone wants to wear a rainbow one (NOT because they are anti lgbt but because quite a lot of people think it’s been overrun by trans rights and is no longer supportive of the g and the L in particular as well as is silencing women)

OP says that a number of her colleagues don't like the thin cord. On the face of it, it seems unlikely that they all have sensory issues that would be resolved by wearing a thicker cord. If you struggle with the sensation on your neck, why would using something bigger and heavier round your neck help?

[rwalker]

On days where I wonder if I did the right thing stepping down from management .Having to deal with ridiculous non issue entitled shit like this reminds me I did the right thing

[Rosula]

Because it spreads the weight and is less uncomfortable. OP's employers are obviously aware of this preference by some staff, otherwise they wouldn't offer two thicknesses of lanyard.

Sensory issues normally relate to touch, not weight. The difference in terms of spread of the weight between a thinner and slightly thicker lanyard is minimal.

Why assume that the employers offer two thicknesses of lanyard for that reason? It's way more likely that the rainbow lanyard has thicker cord because it's difficult to get rainbow colours into a thin one. If they wanted to make adjustments for sensory issues, it would make much more sense to offer something like a clip-on identity token.

[DashboardConfessional]

I hate baiting threads like this. "Ooh, but it's rainbow... dot dot dot... I'll not add anything further and leave them all to froth."

[Emotionalsupportviper]

@Rosula

Because it spreads the weight and is less uncomfortable. OP's employers are obviously aware of this preference by some staff, otherwise they wouldn't offer two thicknesses of lanyard.

Sensory issues normally relate to touch, not weight. The difference in terms of spread of the weight between a thinner and slightly thicker lanyard is minimal.

Why assume that the employers offer two thicknesses of lanyard for that reason? It's way more likely that the rainbow lanyard has thicker cord because it's difficult to get rainbow colours into a thin one. If they wanted to make adjustments for sensory issues, it would make much more sense to offer something like a clip-on identity token.

You have obviously never dealt with many people with sensory issues. You do realise that "weight" and "touch" are often related, don't you?

Tactile sensory issues relate to weight, texture, thickness/narrowness, flexibility etc

Weight increases the sensation of touch. Broad items tend on the whole to be less uncomfortable than narrow ones because the pressure is less concentrated.

However, I agree with you perhaps a clip on identity token instead of a lanyard of any type may be more appropriate.

[MyPurpleHeart]

I really wish my work issues were this minor! Talk about a mountain out of a molehill. Not even a molehill, an ants nest.

[SerafinasGoose]

@CovertImage

Lot's of people do. I used to support gay pride though

I, too. I am under the LGBT umbrella and these days would not be seen wearing a rainbow lanyard under any pretext. I think rather that attacking those who feel this way as the ubiquitous 'bigot', the people who are affiliated with Stonewall et al might do well to examine the reasons why they are losing supporters hand over fist.

As far as lanyards are concerned, the rainbow symbol is closely affiliated with Stonewall, and Stonewall are no longer a mere charity standing for the rights of a specific marginalized group. They currently have far too much power as a political lobby group, as well as having directly affected my organization's policy in a way I oppose. There is a reason why some staunch left-wing organizations like the BBC, certain health sectors and universities - particularly the Scottish ones - are dropping their associations with this 'charity' like a hot brick.

Wearing the rainbow isn't a neutral gesture. It signals affinity with an increasingly problematic movement which is harming the interests of those it was originally set up to protect. I don't support them, and am not flying any flags which falsely signal an allegiance which isn't there. As plain black lanyards are no longer available from my employers, I've bought my own. It would never even have occurred to me to ask my employers for permission.

In your situation OP I'd just wear the purple one.

[Queenofscones]

@SerafinasGoose

I, too. I am under the LGBT umbrella and these days would not be seen wearing a rainbow lanyard under any pretext. I think rather that attacking those who feel this way as the ubiquitous 'bigot', the people who are affiliated with Stonewall et al might do well to examine the reasons why they are losing supporters hand over fist.

As far as lanyards are concerned, the rainbow symbol is closely affiliated with Stonewall, and Stonewall are no longer a mere charity standing for the rights of a specific marginalized group. They currently have far too much power as a political lobby group, as well as having directly affected my organization's policy in a way I oppose. There is a reason why some staunch left-wing organizations like the BBC, certain health sectors and universities - particularly the Scottish ones - are dropping their associations with this 'charity' like a hot brick.

Wearing the rainbow isn't a neutral gesture. It signals affinity with an increasingly problematic movement which is harming the interests of those it was originally set up to protect. I don't support them, and am not flying any flags which falsely signal an allegiance which isn't there. As plain black lanyards are no longer available from my employers, I've bought my own. It would never even have occurred to me to ask my employers for permission.

In your situation OP I'd just wear the purple one.

Absolutely. Everyone currently virtue-signalling while wearing a rainbow lanyard needs to think a bit more deeply about it.

[TheHoover]

Everyone currently virtue-signalling while wearing a rainbow lanyard needs to think a bit more deeply about it.

Did you feel that wearing the rainbow flag before the stonewall row about trans was virtue signalling?
Or is it virtue signalling only if you, personally, don’t agree with the cause to which the person is signalling their allegiance?

[BeautifulWar]

Leave then 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm just imagining the next job interview:
'And why are you looking to leave your current position?'
'They wouldn't let me choose my lanyard'
😂

[RosaBonheur]

@TheHoover

Everyone currently virtue-signalling while wearing a rainbow lanyard needs to think a bit more deeply about it.

Did you feel that wearing the rainbow flag before the stonewall row about trans was virtue signalling?
Or is it virtue signalling only if you, personally, don’t agree with the cause to which the person is signalling their allegiance?

I don't have any issues with the LGB aspect of it, although I believe the T+ aspect is currently a threat to women's rights.

If the rainbow was still just for the LGB and I was told to wear a rainbow lanyard, I would probably do so without thinking too much about it.

But it would still be weird if I did think about it.

Why this group? Why do our employers want to make everyone demonstrate visible support for this particular group, rather than disabled people, ethnic minorities, homeless people for example?

Whilst I don't doubt that homophobia still exists in our society, all the gay people I know are educated, affluent professionals in monogamous same sex relationships. A lesbian couple I know have recently had a child using a sperm donor and live very similar lives to me and my husband, except one of them is a woman. A gay couple I know have moved to the countryside and have an envy-inducing Instagram account filled with pictures of the amazing house they are painstakingly renovating, their extremely spoiled cat, and delicious things they have baked, broken up by regular fancy holidays. I don't see these people as oppressed minorities, I don't believe they see themselves as oppressed minorities or want to be thought of in that way. They want to be seen as perfectly normal couples, just like couples in a heterosexual relationship.

Of all the people I can think of that I might need to publicly demonstrate my support for to raise awareness of the struggles they face in life, those people are a pretty long way down the list.

And to be honest, I think if the rainbow flag was still just for the LGB, nobody would be forced to wear a rainbow lanyard.

It's the trans stuff.

By forcing you to wear a rainbow lanyard, your employer is sending you a very clear message that they won't support you if you object to a transgender male in the women's changing rooms. They're saying, "This organisation believes in gender woowoo, and if you don't, keep your mouth shut or leave."

[TheHoover]

So it’s only ‘virtue signalling’ if you don’t agree with the cause then.