No Monster this was an angry response.

Free play. You can do whatever you like.

So weird. Yes, I'd think mention it to HR somehow if you're comfortable doing so.

I'm a little behind on American racist themes (like the watermelon thing Ionly learned after a couple of years here), but I'm assuming fans isn't a known racist topic :/

I think you have the liability thing backwards. An employee who shouts racism at the drop of a hat is just as likely to sue the company for made-up slights as well. There's no actual evidence of wrongdoing on your part, so you're not a liability, she is.

You didn't know that fans can be used to peel watermelons?

Yep, Classic's got it. As someone who actually works for companies with HR departments I can say that this is it, in a nutshell. Sure, HR sounds all humany and resourcy. But don't be fooled.

Anyway, I would say to him "Hey, what is your favorite kind of candy to package, because you look to me like you prefer packing fudge."

That should totally take his mind off the whole racist thing.

Christ you are funny as hell. Thanks for the mood lift.

Lots of good points made here Nirvana. I especially agree with the position that the primary role of HR is to manage the resources of the company that are of the human type. Any benefit to the individual is a coincidence.

As for the comment by a coworker... that sounds hurtful. Sorry to hear that. But work history not withstanding, I'm sure you've had the experience of people saying shit about you that was untrue, irrelevant, slanderous, or otherwise fucked up. Having it happen in the workplace is much the same, only you can add unprofessional to that list. The ways you've dealt with that bullshit outside the workplace would work inside the workplace too.

It's the same people after all, but just in a different context.

[Devil's Advocate] A lot of people black people, for obvious reasons, have been on edge the last couple months.
You and the company may be clear on the duties of "relief", but the trainee never heard of it. You said yourself she wasn't being trained well. So to the trainee you're not her trainer or boss, just some pushy white girl ragging on her.

She's smart enough to know that as a trainee she better go along to get along for now. But she does comment to her sister/trainer she thinks you've singled her out to pick on. Trainer feels trainee has done an acceptable job, by her standards(maybe why she's still part-time), finds it expedient to explain your actions as racist.

That satisfies the trainee, and bolsters the trainer's earlier impression. That thought was on her mind and slipped off the tongue when you spoke to her. [/Devil's...]

Keep in mind I am not black, female, employed, or especially bright. :blush:

I still don't see how commenting about fans can be seen as racist. Is there some theme there I'm not familiar with?

Anyway, I probably would have asked the coworker straight up why they'd think that. I'm usually a get to the bottom of it quick sort of person though. Nip it in the bud and all that.

It's not about the fan specifically, it's that it was a slightly snide comment in general. The snideness was meant both for the trainee who disobeyed the rules immediately after being corrected, as well as for the trainer who was failing to keep the trainee in line. But the trainer apparently believes there would be no disapproval of this same behavior if they were white.

Oh right, so what she said wasn't racist. Just that she said anything.

Fuck that shit. If it's her job then it's her job. Report it. Move on.

I can't tell you how many times I worked construction with black people complaining about the cold and claiming that because I was white, I was immune to it, whereas because they were black and ancestrally from the southern US or Africa, it affected them more severely.

Umm, OK.

Maybe Nirvana left out the part after "Your trainee sure seems to like the fan" where she then said, "I thought black people liked the heat."

I am human and really I feel bad for laughing at any of this stuff. :blush: love this place!! :biggrin:

That being said I think CF nailed the problem. While cow orker's comment to me was inappropriate After our interactions at work yesterday I think they realized it was and they were embarrassed and relieved that I did not hold their feet to the fire. If you work with someone for almost a year and they have never acted that way to you it's hard to understand. I really think the other gal was shit stirring and she is the one that is out of line.
Thanks for all the insight , brilliant as usual. :)

The next time she says something - anything - to you, tell her she's a racist in the same way she told you. That'll confuse her as much as it has you. :D