Employers should ‘crack down on laddish sports banter because it excludes women’
Sports banter at work can alienate women and football chat in particular risks becoming a gateway to ‘laddish behaviour’, the head of a major business organisation claimed today. Ann Francke, chief executive of Britain’s Chartered Management Institute (CMI) told BBC radio: ‘It’s very easy for it to escalate from VAR talk and chat to slapping each other on the back and talking about their conquests at the weekend.’ Francke said she was not calling for a ban on sports banter in the office or shop floor but felt there needed to be greater awareness and sensitivity towards female staff who might be excluded. She said managers had to do more to be inclusive and ensure everyone in the team felt comfortable. Ms Francke added: ‘A lot of women, in particular, feel left out. ‘They don’t follow those sports and they don’t like either being forced to talk about them or not being included.’ However, her comments have received a strong backlash.
https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/27/employers-crack-laddish-sports-banter-excludes-women-12133418/