To think colleagues joke was NOT acceptable?

[LaurenkI]

My team has a meeting every Monday (virtual) and there’s always chat at the start about weekends etc. One of my colleagues said he’s worrying because his holiday plans for the year include already booked trips to Cyprus and Dubai. Another colleague then said ‘any chance you can book a trip to France next’ and he got a few laughs.

I have family in France, as does another colleague I’m aware of. Is it me or is this type of ‘joke’ really inappropriate given the current climate?

Do you think he genuinely hates France? I think the British are (rightly or wrongly) always making digs at France or Germany (and recently perhaps America). It’s just a longstanding joke surely.

there has to be some kind of reasonable standard people are held to. We can't be held responsible for all special needs, sensitivities and triggers of a thousand colleagues, especially if we don't even know that one person finds perfectly normal interactions confusing, another is still triggered by mention of dogs as theirs died 15 years ago and third has family in another country so that country shall never be mentioned..

Are you a manager of an office?

A lot of you people really wouldn't fare very well at a comedy night.

It’s a joke, jeez

Yes are you?

The second world war jokes are in most workplaces, ignorant and cringey at best, and xenophobic by definition. Mainly found hilarious by thick office workers who vote reform, and would rather turn a blind eye or perpetuate more division between us and Europe, than just a simple 'that's not funny and not a work joke'

People these days I would hope can still enjoy work banter without it having to be jim Davidson or benny Hill humour.

You are far more offensive than the jokes I’d assume “thick office workers” ?

What makes you above office workers?

Not at those sort of comedy nights!

Not above office workers in general. The thick ones that make racist jokes and then huddle down in a clique about it.

I have worked in offices and hated it. I wouldn't even last a week in some of the places described here. I don't even have a problem with working with thick people if they aren't racist or keep their shitty views private.

Okies 👌 you sound the perfect employee!

I’ll assume your offensive messages will be deleted soon, which of course is not your fault.

I think you sound like you would be that as a manager. Could be wrong of course. Maybe in real life you are lovely and supportive when people come to you because they are upset by a racist colleague?
Maybe you're just joking here and I just dont get it because I'm so autistic?

Shrug and move on? Your manager will (rightly) see you as a time waster at best.

I've not said I'd be the perfect employee. I've said I wouldn't last a week and have even said the bits I specifically find difficult.
I'm responding fairly harshly in response to some really dismissive and shitty posts that have made it really really clear some of my major shortcomings in these things.

Don't dish it out if you can't take it.

Why the fuck should people have to put up with shit like that at work.

Are the French a different race to us now?

You said you wouldn't take it seriously, so to now say that it's your job to make sure everyone is listened to? Which is it?
Is this another joke that only office people understand?

Yep this would not factor as a serious issue to me, that’s my feelings.

Id listen and say “this isn’t a serious issue”

You're 'that' person. OK. Your poor colleagues.

https://employernews.co.uk/diversity/how-to-tackle-racism-and-xenophobia-in-the-workplace/

On dodgy legal ground if you don't take the complaint seriously.

It wasn’t either of those though!

I think it would be easily shown to be that if op took it further.

I think it might be normalised in your workplace and many others clearly, and it's all OK until it isn't.
Blaming the employee for being over sensitive or a fun sponge when bringing it up or being dismissive and telling them it's not serious might work for a while if you're lucky, but you won't always be. Some workplaces need a rocket up their arses, as it sounds like they haven't evolved since the 80s