Firms urged to crack down on office football chat

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51261999

Chat about football or cricket in the workplace should be curtailed, a management body has warned.

Chartered Management Institute head Ann Francke said sports banter can exclude women and lead to laddish behaviour such as chat about sexual conquests.

"A lot of women, in particular, feel left out," she told the BBC's Today programme.

"They don't follow those sports and they don't like either being forced to talk about them or not being included."

"I have nothing against sports enthusiasts or cricket fans - that's great," she said.

"But the issue is many people aren't cricket fans," she added, arguing bosses should crack down on sports banter.

Ms Francke is concerned that discussing football and, for example, the merits of video assistant refereeing (VAR) can disproportionately exclude women and divide offices.

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"It's a gateway to more laddish behaviour and - if it just goes unchecked - it's a signal of a more laddish culture," she said

"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."

'Terrible idea'
Nevertheless, Ms Francke does not think sports chatter should be banned, just moderated.

She said that good managers should be inclusive and ensure that everyone in their team feels comfortable.

But sports journalist Jacqui Oatley thinks cracking down on sports chatter would be a "terrible idea".

"If you ban football chat or banter of any description, then all you're going to do is alienate the people who actually want to communicate with each other," she told the Today programme.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
"It would be so, so negative to tell people not to talk about sport because girls don't like it or women don't like it, that's far more divisive."

She said the secret was to discuss sport in an inclusive way and to notice if people were blankly "staring into space" during the conversation.

What next?
And the majority of people responding to a LinkedIn post from the BBC appear to agree with Ms Oatley.

Office manager Debra Smyth worries that other topics such as Love Island, EastEnders and Game of Thrones could also be censored if sport chatter is banned.

"I personally think companies should not dictate what people talk about, as not talking about it will alienate those with similar interests," she said.

"Where would it end? Banning people with children talking about them so as not to alienate people without children. Certainly not!"

Recruiter Peter Ferguson said: "I have seen managers and staff build a more direct bond over a shared love of sport which has excluded those who don't share that interest.

"The answer is not to ban the conversation, it is to ensure managers and staff are trained to understand that those shared interests should not get in the way of management decisions or working collaboratively."

Biggest load of crap I've heard this year (apart from when the forum idiot posts). Thought for a moment that April 1st had come early.

Bloody snowflakes.

I work with a load of women who constantly talk about clothes and babies!! Annoying but I wouldn’t dream about complaining. FFS....just FFS!!!

I thought women liked football now and wanted jobs in the industry?

Well it appears someone banned talking about Football at Cardiff’s training ground years ago so not surprised that offices are starting to take a similar approach

Well it appears someone banned talking about Football at Cardiff’s training ground years ago so not surprised that offices are starting to take a similar approach

Well said.

Good to know there are different levels to your negativity.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51261999

Chat about football or cricket in the workplace should be curtailed, a management body has warned.

Chartered Management Institute head Ann Francke said sports banter can exclude women and lead to laddish behaviour such as chat about sexual conquests.

"A lot of women, in particular, feel left out," she told the BBC's Today programme.

"They don't follow those sports and they don't like either being forced to talk about them or not being included."

"I have nothing against sports enthusiasts or cricket fans - that's great," she said.

"But the issue is many people aren't cricket fans," she added, arguing bosses should crack down on sports banter.

Ms Francke is concerned that discussing football and, for example, the merits of video assistant refereeing (VAR) can disproportionately exclude women and divide offices.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
"It's a gateway to more laddish behaviour and - if it just goes unchecked - it's a signal of a more laddish culture," she said

"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."

'Terrible idea'
Nevertheless, Ms Francke does not think sports chatter should be banned, just moderated.

She said that good managers should be inclusive and ensure that everyone in their team feels comfortable.

But sports journalist Jacqui Oatley thinks cracking down on sports chatter would be a "terrible idea".

"If you ban football chat or banter of any description, then all you're going to do is alienate the people who actually want to communicate with each other," she told the Today programme.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
"It would be so, so negative to tell people not to talk about sport because girls don't like it or women don't like it, that's far more divisive."

She said the secret was to discuss sport in an inclusive way and to notice if people were blankly "staring into space" during the conversation.

What next?
And the majority of people responding to a LinkedIn post from the BBC appear to agree with Ms Oatley.

Office manager Debra Smyth worries that other topics such as Love Island, EastEnders and Game of Thrones could also be censored if sport chatter is banned.

"I personally think companies should not dictate what people talk about, as not talking about it will alienate those with similar interests," she said.

"Where would it end? Banning people with children talking about them so as not to alienate people without children. Certainly not!"

Recruiter Peter Ferguson said: "I have seen managers and staff build a more direct bond over a shared love of sport which has excluded those who don't share that interest.

"The answer is not to ban the conversation, it is to ensure managers and staff are trained to understand that those shared interests should not get in the way of management decisions or working collaboratively."

More evidence that middle class liberals hate us and won't stop until we are completely defeated. Do you accept it or push back...

Why are these people even allowed to spread such crap.

It’s boring we will talk about what we want now f**k off.

Generation -

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