What isn’t deemed offensive these days? The latest version of Northern Ireland’s civil service ‘inclusive language guide’ has been published – and it appears that even some of the most benign language is too risqué for top mandarins. The newly released document, which advises readers that ‘we all have a role to play in championing diversity and inclusion to make our workplace a safe, welcoming space’, has issued warnings about how a ‘phrase that feels harmless to one person’ may leave another ‘potentially unsafe’. Good heavens…
Perhaps it’s a good thing the Northern Irish civil service has put together this handy guide – as Mr S would bet almost no one else would have picked up on the, er, offensiveness of these non-inclusive terms. The handbook is first sceptical of ‘gendered’ phrases like ‘chairman’, ‘a female CEO’ and even the all-encompassing ‘guys and girls’ greeting. Instead, civil servants should swap these out for ‘chairperson’, ‘a CEO’ and, um, ‘folks’.
Reference to age is something that rather worries the civil service too. One should no longer refer to ‘the elderly’ or ‘old people’. Instead ‘older people’ is the politically correct term, while terms like ‘kiddo’ should be avoided completely. ‘Refer to the person by name,’ instructs the booklet. Even calling someone ‘young at heart’ could land you in the bad books now, with the guide urging officials to instead use words like ‘energetic’ and ‘lively’. Mr S is rather amused by the alternative offered in place of ‘coasting to retirement’ – a phrase one wouldn’t have thought would be overly common in the workplace – with the pamphlet advising readers to instead remark: ‘He continues to contribute valuable experience and expertise to the team.’ Er, right. It’s not quite a direct translation…
And on sexuality, the guidance is downright baffling. ‘Sexual preference’ is out, ‘sexual orientation’ is in. Avoid the words ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ to avoid making those in single-parent households, blended families or with parents in civil partnerships feel isolated. Husband, wife, boyfriend and girlfriend are also not recommended descriptors. Instead, ‘partner’ or ‘spouse’ should be used as ‘traditional language around families can alienate the diverse family units that now exist’, the guide reminds us. More than that, the handbook even instructs officials to use ‘gender neutral’ pronouns and titles – the example given is ‘Mx Jones’ – to ensure ‘non-binary or transgender colleagues feel comfortable’. Crikey. If only civil servants spent as much time on their day jobs as they have churning out politically correct pamphlets, eh?
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