The welfare of young people and vulnerable adults on our apprenticeships is a priority of BPIF Training. We believe and promote the fact that all of our learners have rights as individuals and should be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace.
Often an apprenticeship is a young person’s first steps into employment and can initially be a daunting and overwhelming experience.
We wanted to give you an idea of what to look out for, and what not to do in terms of inappropriate behaviour - who better to use as a perfect example than Donald Trump.
So using a few of Donald Trump's examples let’s explore the do’s and don’ts of work-place etiquette;
Do not make remarks about other people’s appearance or judge the way they look
Speaking of German Gold medal winning Ice Skater Katarina Witt Trump said;
"Wonderful looking while on the ice but up close and personal, she could only be described as attractive if you like a woman with a bad complexion who is built like a line-backer".
Making insensitive comments about a person’s appearance can be extremely offensive.
According to a report in the New York Post, former female contestants on the show complained that Trump consistently objectified women.
Trump’s colleague claimed: “So much of the boardroom discussion concerned the appearance of the female contestant - discussing the female contestants' looks - who he found to be hot.
“He asked the men to rate the women - he went down the line and asked the guys, ‘Who’s the most beautiful on the women’s team?’"
Associated Press spoke to insiders on reality show The Apprentice USA, who claim that former host Trump used to rate female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he'd like to have sex with.
Don’t expect women or men to do certain jobs because of their gender
“I have days where, if I come home — and I don't want to sound too much like a chauvinist,” the Republicansaid,“but when I come home and dinner's not ready, I go through the roof.”
We now live and work in an era of equality and someone’s sex should not be a reason that they are expected to carry out a certain role. I wonder if Mr Trump considers the very many successful women in high powered careers in workplaces across the world.
Gender is one of the nine characteristics protected by the Equality at work act 2010 - which sets out the personal characteristics that are protected by the law and the behaviour that is unlawful.
This means don't expect women to make tea, and men to lift boxes
Do not make fun of others
"We're all a little chubby but Rosie's just worse than most of us. But it's not the chubbiness - Rosie is a very unattractive person, both inside and out." Trump said of comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell.
Comments like the one aboveare hurtful in general, but saying them in the workplace is a one way to see the inside of a Tribunal court room.
Don’t judge others' religion
Khizr Khan, the father of the late Army Captain Humayun Khan, spoke out against Trump’s bigoted rhetoric and disregard for civil liberties at the Democratic National Convention on July 28. It quickly became the most memorable moment of the convention.
Khan’s wife Ghazala Khan, who wears a Muslim head scarf, stood at his side during the speech but did not speak.
“If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News that first appeared on July 30.
Religion is a protected characteristicwhich means that employees (including apprentices) with religious beliefs are covered by law against any discrimination as a result oftheir beliefs.
Do not assume a person is capable of doing their job based on their heritage
In May, Trump implied that Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over a class action against the for-profit Trump University, could not fairly hear the case because of his Mexican heritage.
“He’s a Mexican,” Trump told CNN of Curiel. “We’re building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings — rulings that people can’t even believe.”
Curiel, it should be noted, is an American citizen whowas born in Indiana. And as a prosecutor in the late 1990s, he went after Mexican drug cartels, making him a target for assassination by a Tijuana drug lord.
Even members of Trump’s own party slammed the racist remarks.
“Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like thetextbook definition of a racist comment,” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a reaction to Trump’s comments, though he clarified that he still endorses the nominee.
Race is another characteristic protected under the Equality Act and under no circumstance is it OK to judge a person (or their ability to do a job) by their heriatge
Treat people as individuals
“Donald J Trump is calling for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”
“I love the Muslims. I think they’re great people,” Trump said, insisting that he would be willing to name a Muslim to his presidential cabinet.
Definitely do not refer to people as “the Muslims, the blacks”
Don’t judge people by the way they look
People’s weight is none of your business
In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said of the German supermodel: “Heidi Klum. Sadly, she’s no longer a 10.”
Please remember something you find funny may not be a joke to another person - if in doubt, leave it out.
Jokesaside - if you have concerns about your safety or the safety of others on any apprenticeship programme or in any work-place - please report these to the designated safeguarding officer or relevant other as soon as possible.
For further informationplease see ACAS or get in touch - [email protected]
