"It's just the way they are". A phrase I have caught myself thinking and saying recently. Typically used while dealing with people who don't see the world the same way, who are inappropriate, or who make me feel uncomfortable. My go-to internal thought has been "it’s fine, it’s just the way they are".
We've all heard this statement and the many variations it comes in. "It's just how their generation was raised". "It's just the way it is around here". "It's just the way our industry is". It's just, it's just, it's just.... not okay.
No company, no individual, and no workplace should ever have an "it's just" statement in place to downplay, normalize, or condone behaviors that are disruptive, inappropriate, or negatively impact others.
No company, no individual, and no workplace should ever have an "it's just" statement in place to downplay, normalize, or condone behaviors that are disruptive, inappropriate, or negatively impact others.
We each have a responsibility to call out "it's just..." statements. Whether we are making them ourselves or we hear others use them in an effort to excuse negative behavior.
No individual, company, or industry should be held to lower standards simply because “that’s just the way it’s always been”. You have the power to create change. Call yourself out when your mind wanders to an "it's just" statement. Call out those around you when you hear them making "it's just" statements. And support those who are speaking up and working to create better cultures, organizations, and people.
Together we can create change. Keep speaking up, defining your line, and sparking change. You've got this!
Your nerdy HR friend,
Nikki Larchar
Co-founder Define the Line
We’re on a mission to empower employees to speak up for themselves and each other to create harassment-free workplaces. Using a comic book format we're sparking real-deal change one organization at a time.