Would you report offensive message in a group work chat?

[ChilliPB]

As the title says really. A pretty offensive meme sent as ‘banter’ (not funny and genuinely offensive). It was sent in a group chat - a non-official WhatsApp chat with over 50 people, used for social chat. We have a separate more official group chat for work related stuff.

Options are to pick it up individually with the person (who I don’t know and have never met). Or flag direct to HR. Or flag up to HR but not disclose what was said or who said it and hope they could send a stern but general reminder about behaviour and conduct and the individual wouldn’t actually be identified.

Appreciate its a non-official chat but even so. Really likely to offend some of the members there and also it’s the sort of job where if it came out it would look awful, and I’m worried those that don’t report it could also be in trouble as complicit.

What would you do?!

Just leave it. Why does everyone now feel that being offended has to be dealt with formally?

If you do report it then I’d start looking for a new job as I can guarantee you won’t be welcome there much longer.

My thoughts exactly. Couldn't believe that comment. You need to call out racism whenever you see it.

Best you order a ticket to Sad World Central then, because HR can and do get involved with "It's only Bantz" down the pub goes sour. And they can certainly get involved when written/electronic communications are involved.

It's not a 'private chat' though. It's a group of more than 50 work colleagues.

People can, and have been fired for misconduct outside work. You can be fired for Facebook or twitter posts for example.

No I haven’t lost the ability to say things out loud. Hence one of my options was to address it with the person directly.

Swipe the message so it's an obvious reply, write 'wtf? no', await the heart and thumbs up emojis from colleages.

My dsis used to be a civil servant.
After the Glasgow airport attack a work colleague made a racist joke referring to the attack. This joke was made in the office.
My dsis reported it and was subsequently more or less sent to Coventry by her colleagues who sided with the racist because it was just ‘banter.’
She ended up being made to move office and eventually left because of her mental health.
Unfortunately unless it’s a personal attack on another colleague I would keep your head down and mouth shut.
They will shoot the messenger.

Ok I work in this space.

1. Ideally you should call this out on the chat.

2.If you can’t, screen shot (remove your name you have to, and send to speak up /HR.

don’t expect HR to wave a magic wand without evidence.

@EagerGoldViper you have no idea what you're talking about. WhatsApp is deemed as a social network and many employers have very clear guidance on how you're expected to conduct yourself on them. Report please OP

Is this not covered in training these days? If it's a group of work colleagues, it doesn't matter if it's "social" or not, discriminatory language/jokes are at best unacceptable, at worst illegal. I would call it out on the group and flag it up to HR or the person's manager.

Yes, of course HR can get involved. Plenty of jobs you could get into trouble for saying something on Twitter, in a WhatsApp chat etc because they are the sort of jobs when you are expected to adhere to professional standards both at work and in your private life.

Thank you great to hear from someone who knows what they’re talking about as quite surprised by some posters on here thinking it could never be an HR matter!

I will never understand why "being a grass" is worse than being a discriminatory piece of shit, or worse than practically any crime anyone could commit. It's not, people should be held to account and I would cheer on people brave enough to dob someone in (so at least one person likes a grass)

WhatsApp is classed as social media and stuff like this pops up on our Equality and Diversity training all the time.
I'd give the poster an opportunity to delete it themself- message them privately and say you should really delete that message off the group chat. How they respond will probably tell you everything you need to know about them. Hopefully they will get the point and just delete it.

If you feel this strongly about it (and it's good that you do), why on earth wouldn't addressing it with him directly be your natural go-to response?

Politely pull him up, if he doesn't delete it or comes back with a snarky comment, then do something official.

It does seem a bit like natural, basic communication is becoming a thing of the past for a lot of people.

You see it on here all the time...people reporting their neighbours to the council instead of having with a polite word first, or people receiving poor service in supermarkets and restaurants and saying absolutely nothing to the staff, but emailing head office instead.

It's a shame people can't just go back to speaking up politely but firmly.

I’d say screenshot and send to HR. Sure, it’s a private chat, but that sort of thing is toxic and influences standards/ values/ ideas of what is acceptable. That isn’t an influence I’d want to nurture. It definitely needs challenging as formally as possible.

Then what is the point of the post? It’s something you find offfensive but how do we know that you’re not over sensitive, nit picking, or have a grudge against the person who posted it?

for something that's happened at work or in an official work chat group.

So if someone you work with was harassing and stalking you, but only outside of work hours, in the street or at home, and on your personal number, you would what?

What if you were racially abused by a college frequently, but it was just after close of play?

What if you discover a college is engaging in behaviour with would bar them from working in your industry, but only outside of working hours?

What if someone was engaging in criminal hate speech openly on social media? Or was sending these messages to a group of work colleagues? But again, only outside of 9-5.

police officers have been sacked for this sort of carry on, as was the horse abuse woman, as well as several teachers. Doctors have also been suspended and struck off for comments made outside of work.

Except this isnt social media like facebook or twatter. Its a private group not the work group. Hopefully if OP goes grassing, HR would drop the manager a line and this workers card would be marked.

@EagerGoldViper Wrong. If it's a group chat then it's classed as social media. Employers are liable for discrimination and harassment on WhatsApp chats involving work colleagues. In fact, it could be taken to a tribunal.

Surely you can tell the difference between-

the dark humour employed as a coping mechanism by people like social workers and mental health nurses who work with misery and suffering every day- talking to close, trusted friends and colleagues to get through the shift… (when someone has just poured a bucket of piss over you someone will definitely make a comment about golden showers)-

and publishing offensive and possibly illegal hate speech on social networking sites and sending it to 50 colleagues, many of whom you don’t even know?!

Seriously? You think the OP's card should be marked for challenging racism?

People like you are the problem.