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Respecting Your Colleagues

by Kim on April 4th, 2006

Embarrassingly, it is becoming all too apparent that I’m a child of the TV generation. Most network shows are immensely idiotic to me, (except reruns of Sex and The City) but I do have some favorites or at least I’m intrigued with certain shows. (Aforementioned The Office).

NBC’s The Apprentice, is annoying, yet intriguing. In last night’s installment, the losing team, Gold Rush, was brought to the boardroom to face The Donald.

When asked by Trump who wanted to bring back to the boardroom “where someone will be fired” the team leader decided to include a member of the team who wasn’t available during much of the planning and execution of the task because he had taken off to observe religious obligations.

I immediately felt that was the wrong decision, and so did Trump — the team leader was fired. (I’ve always wondered, how can you be fired if you are just an apprentice who doesn’t have the job yet? lol)

It was a disrepectful and hypocritical thing for the team leader to have done.

I have often seen inconsistencies in how companies place rhetoric around the importance of diversity vs. how they actually behave.

As much as diversity training can eat into our work schedule, I am a firm believer that it is oh so necessary…especially for some managers.

There is a court case going on here in New York forcing women who wish to work and have children fight for their jobs! Is that not insane? How about the fact that as a society, we still use the word “minority“!

What I am wondering is — Has the religious or cultural, et al disciplines of colleagues ever affected you personally, a project you were working on, or brought imbalance to your office/business? If so can you offer some wisdom as to how to handle with grace and respect?

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