A move to make B&Q more welcoming among its 21,000 staff has been slammed and ridiculed by campaigners after certain phrases were banned an strange religious guidance was given
Major DIY chain B&Q has banned all 21,000 staff from using certain phrases that aren’t “welcoming” – a move slammed online. Bosses at the orange-branded UK high street giants have ordered staff to stop using phrases such as “blind drunk” and “deaf to our please” among staff and to customers.
According to The Times, the move has been done to stop staff using phrases which are often associated with “impairments with negative things,” and has been brought in as part of a new diversity, equality and inclusion drive.
An extract from the guide stats that staff must “understand that offensive language often includes words and phrases that reinforce stereotypes, reinforce derogatory labels, exclude certain groups of people, patronise or trivialise certain groups of people”.
“Common phrases that may associate impairments with negative things should be avoided, for example ‘deaf to our pleas’ or ‘blind drunk’.” it claims.
The move has been slammed online with many calling it “pathetic” and “ridiculous”.
However, a spokesman for B&Q said: “B&Q has been a proud part of Britain’s communities for over 55 years. Our 21,000-strong workforce helps more than 20 million people improve their homes across our 300 stores, and we’re committed to ensuring everyone feels welcome.”
But in a scathing attack, Alka Sehgal-Cuthbert, director of the campaign group Don’t Divide Us told The Times that B&Q needs to “get a grip”.
She raged: “B&Q management need to get a grip. It’s a DIY store where knowledgeable, polite customer service, a general rule to treat colleagues respectfully and some basic, clear outlines of sanctions/grievance procedures would be better than this effort to drum up a utopian workforce.
“Creating a ‘nurturing environment’ where ‘all can grow’ is really best left to parents and gardeners.”
The guide also has a section about ethnicity community resources, specifically mentioning Ramadan, Eid and Diwali – but allegedly makes no mention of Easter, Christmas or any other religious event.
Ms Sehgal-Cuthbert added: “On the community resources for race and ethnicity, why is Christianity absent when it is the longest-standing cultural and ethical resource for the biggest community of all – the British people?”
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