General Chit Chat

[Hoboh]

The only thing I can think you're referring to was your claim that you hadn't heard of the acronym BAME (black and minority ethnic FYI). That's not a social or personal point, it's a "that's borderline professional negligence for someone who works in HR" point

BAME (& I still don't get it) was the one ..... and I developed the question to "intersex" and whatever the fck "Q" means.

We may as well line up the whole alphabet to be honest.

I just thought that was a spelling mistake with the 'L' missed out

[Bijou Bob]

I once sat in a meeting where we had been asked to complete an ethnicity form for equal ops purposes for a public engagement group that had been put together. One rather elderly lady fixed me with a steely eye and said "Young man, my mother was the only member of her entire family not to perish in Auschwitz. They only knew she was Jewish because of forms like these".

A fair point I thought.

[Prufrock]

It would be if we were living in Nazi Germany.

Or if they weren't usually anonymous.

Or if they weren't usually optional.

[Hoboh]

It would be if we were living in Nazi Germany.

Or if they weren't usually anonymous.

Or if they weren't usually optional.

Or they were not there in the first place!

[Burnden Paddock]

I once sat in a meeting where we had been asked to complete an ethnicity form for equal ops purposes for a public engagement group that had been put together. One rather elderly lady fixed me with a steely eye and said "Young man, my mother was the only member of her entire family not to perish in Auschwitz. They only knew she was Jewish because of forms like these".

A fair point I thought.

Quite some time ago, was it?

[Bijou Bob]

The point being that politics change with time and how was she to know that the form wasn't later attributed to her. She had an understandable mistrust of authority. Given that her entire family were slaughtered, I'd call that fair.

[Prufrock]

Understandable, certainly, but not "fair" IMO. How to know? Because they're anonymous (I'd understand someone refusing to fill one in with their name on).

[LeverEnd]

I'm genuinely surprised you haven't come across it! It's on everyone of those "equality monitoring" forms that go with every other form every HR department I've had contact with over the last 5 years send out. Mustn't have it in Wales. Not enough letters .

Maybe you work in more refined .... or public sector ... circles. It's not how private firms operate. Not even in Englishland.

Never clapped eyes on BAME ... I'm rather pleased to say.


"black and minority ethnic" why isolate 'black' ? Why do it at all, would be the real question, but given that we do BAME just seems close to tautological.

I've worked in loads of ethnically diverse schools and never heard of it except on here. When we referred to ethnicity, we usually did so specifically to the child, rather than lumping them all together as not being white. There's certainly nothing professionally negligent about not knowing this. Making up new acronyms is practically a cottage industry these days.

[thebish]

Making up new acronyms is practically a cottage industry these days.

aye - it's what keeps all those HR types in jobs!

[jaffka]

It's what keeps bullshit equality trainers in jobs.

[thebish]

^ Bobo's done some of that...

[jaffka]

^you have swallowed the pill...

[Prufrock]

Schools wouldn't do it (well maybe selective ones) but not generally.

That I can remember, every HR department I've come across in the last 5 years or so (some public sector, some private) have had an equality form (though that form hasn't had the acronym on itself) and each of them publish their diversity (in that case using the acronym). I'd never heard of it until I saw it in our annual report at my old place, and wouldn't think anyone would come across it outside HR circles. I'm surprised that people inside HR haven't heard of it though!

[Bijou Bob]

Understandable, certainly, but not "fair" IMO. How to know? Because they're anonymous (I'd understand someone refusing to fill one in with their name on).

I can honestly say that I've never filled one in, in isolation. They have always come with forms which have held my personal details. I expect that the data hasnt been kept together, but in truth, I have no idea. I do know that at one of my employers, the form was in my personnel file.

[TANGODANCER]

"Ye Olde Wench and Trinkets".....W.T.F....?

[KeyserSoze]

"Ye Olde Wench and Trinkets".....W.T.F....?

the scythe shop? Been around for ages aint' it?

[TANGODANCER]

"Ye Olde Wench and Trinkets".....W.T.F....?

the scythe shop? Been around for ages aint' it?

Never heard of it. To be honest, I haven't been down Churchgate in a while. I saw a pic of it on the net and my eyebrows shot up. Time marches on. One of the oldest Inns in England and it's selling bangles and beads.....Was somebody talking about old English traditions?

[Hoboh]

Understandable, certainly, but not "fair" IMO. How to know? Because they're anonymous (I'd understand someone refusing to fill one in with their name on).

You mean like Union postal voting forms and others with bar codes on that could potentially reveal who it was sent too without you ever knowing?
Never fill in feck all with a barcode pretending to be anonymous.

[Prufrock]

They don't have barcodes. Anyway, what happened to "nothing to hide", or is it only other people's privacy you don't give a f*ck about?

[Hoboh]

They don't have barcodes. Anyway, what happened to "nothing to hide", or is it only other people's privacy you don't give a f*ck about?

Oh really! then pray tell me why at this very moment I am stirring at a form from Unison and one from somewhere supposed to be gathering anonymous information about the performance of my GP, with feckin' barcodes!