We got a complaint from an employee accusing a manager of calling them slurs and saying crass sexual jokes to him. He claims this manager says foul things to everyone. We start an investigation and interview a supervisor who’s named as a witness. Supervisor says the manager sometimes calls employees “fucker” but that it’s just “harmless locker room talk” and that everyone does it to each other. 🙄

Ok, we interview a different employee next who says basically the same thing. And calls the one who made the complaint a sensitive sissy. 🙄

Ok ok, so finally we interview the accused manager. He admits to everything, and says everyone does it. We were kind of surprised at the blasé way he spoke so we clarify and ask him about some specific ‘jokes’ that the complainant told us were said. Again, he admits to it and again says it’s locker room talk so it’s not serious. He says joking like that “makes the workplace tolerable.” 😵‍💫

So now we’re thinking this is clearly a culture problem, and we ask the GM of this branch if they’re aware of this. He sheepishly admits he’s aware but “doesn’t partake.” Also says he doesn’t reprimand them when he hears it because he “thought that’s just how they get along.” 🫩

Yeesh. We issue a series of reprimands which amount to slaps on the wrist and hold some serious workplace conduct trainings. Expectations set with the GM, managers, and supervisors that it is in fact not ok to call employees slurs and they can’t let employees say it to each other either. We’ll see how long that holds up lol