These 5 common phrases you might use at work are actually highly offensive
In this photo taken on Friday, June 24, 2016, Gabriel Ionut, a 24-year-old Romanian who works as a traffic marshal, stands by a signal at a construction site in London. (Credit: AP Photo, Pawel Kuczynski)
People often say, “Your words don’t matter — it’s your actions that count.” Yet in reality, the way you communicate can speak volumes about your values. This is especially true in a professional environment, where everyone has the right to feel seen and respected. Unfortunately, coworkers sometimes use language that can be disrespectful, even if they don’t mean to.
Below are a few phrases that, regardless of intention, can be marginalizing.
Low-skilled labor
Thanks to our Cheeto in Chief, this one’s been getting lots of press recently. Investopedia defines “low-skilled labor” as “a segment of the workforce associated with a limited skill set or minimal economic value for the work performed. Generally characterized by a lower educational attainment, such as a high school diploma, GED or lack thereof, and typically results in smaller wages.”
While these jobs traditionally involve lower wages, they also require lots of practice and mental focus. Occupations that people often refer to as low-skilled” include cleaning, farm labor, grocery clerks, and retail employees.
Why is saying “low-skilled” not okay? Well, the term suggests that these jobs don’t require any brain power—which means the people holding them aren’t intelligent. Yet in reality, folks with these jobs are doing hard work to support themselves and their families. As a recent piece for Remezcla showed, numerous people turned out on Twitter after the Trump debacle to give a face to those who are “low-skilled:”
My “low-skilled” mom picked cotton as a kid and cleaned houses for nearly 30 yrs. I challenge you to do a month of either, @RealDonaldTrump.
— Gabe Ortíz (@TUSK81) August 3, 2017
My “low skilled” mom cleans houses too and all three of her kids are in college because of it. Pa que lo sepan✊
