Words Matter

Rather, the intention of these guidelines is to provide supervisors and employees with supports to promote a greater sense of inclusion and engagement in the workplace. [...] Having a curious and empathetic mindset to approaching the use of inclusive terms will be helpful to the application of these guidelines to various forms of communications. [...] Most language has evolved to reflect the values and norms of the mainstream or dominant culture, and if a person is a member of that culture, they have had the privilege to feel included the majority of the time. [...] Page | 7. | Words Matter: Guidelines on Using Inclusive Language in the Workplace A Closer Look: Inclusive Language and the BC Human Rights Code As previously noted, the BC Human Rights Code protects a person from discrimination in hiring or on the job, if the discrimination is based on one or more of the following protected grounds: Race, colour, ancestry, place of origin Political beliefs [...] Under the human resources policy on Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace, discrimination and harassment as related to any of the protected grounds violate the fundamental rights, dignity and integrity of an individual.