So I used bad judgement at work. I posted something politically incorrect. I didn't criticize race, religion, orientation, work ethic, disabilities or use swear words. Still......it was a joke gone bad so to speak. Since most folks did not know who has done it (yet) I haven't recieved grief yet. The CEO wrote a note saying he did not authorize any postings and was sorry if anyone was offended and stated he was. I think I should email an apology to him. Now i think most people are busy with their own lives, trying to make themselves look good and covering their own butts concerning their latest mistakes and will ignore this. I admit I screwed up. Now, any advice on what to say to those who mention how bad or stupid I was?
Do you mean you posted in an e-mail or posted on a wall? Will people know it was you? If they find out, say you were just trying to be funny, but you messed up and didn't stop to think how some people might be offended. E-mail can get people into a lot of trouble. "Oh my God, I hit reply all."
I did that one time. I had to go through sensitivity training. Had to watch a video on how some things that do not seam offensive may offend some people and not others. Then I had to send a e-mail to my boss explaining what I learned from the video and how I will think in the future before I say anything that could be offensive. But what I got out of the whole experience is just saying good morning to some people can be offensive. I have learned to just not communicate in any way with those that are easily offended or the ones that don't like me and will go tattle on anything that I do. If they can't tell who did it, I would dang sure not fess up to it. Just learn from your mistake and move on. If they will eventually find out you probably should go ahead and fess up and send the e-mail. Let us know how it turns out.
Post an apology and ask anyone that was offended to come talk to you and that you will apologize to them in person. If it was one of those things that most people laugh at but a few uptight types don't they most likely will not come forward and you will have projected a feeling of sensitivity towards them to boot. Touchy world we have created.
Come on! You are going to leave us all hanging? What was it you said...Some of us, who are not so thinskinned and can take a joke, as well as give one, would like some new material. As for the rest of the world, they need to learn to get over themselves.
Perhaps back in the '60's when we said we wanted to change society we should have been more specific.
Seriously. Some people make a career out of being offended. My younger brother heads up the trouble-shooting department of a software company. He is one of the most sensitive people I have ever met - so sensitive, he almost seems psychic. He had an employee dumped on him that was absolutely incompetent, probably lied on the resume when hired. Unfortunately, this employee looked really good on the employment records, because she was an African-American female (a rare bird in the computer world). If he sent her on a job, guaranteed it would be a bigger mess when she came back than it was when she went, but it would never be her fault. He couldn't say anything without her throwing down the race card, or the sexism card, or both! Thanks to her, he had to go through sensitivity training, when as he said, "I couldn't care less if she were purple with tiger stripes, if she can get the job done." It was a red-letter day for him when she got transferred out of his department. But other than, "I just didn't look at it from that perspective", IDK.
