Blog: It’s just ‘banter’: The excuse that no longer washes in the #MeToo world

A few years ago I attended a work function, which doubled up as a staff awards party.

During the festivities, the compere invited employees up to the front and encouraged them to indulge in suggestive behaviour, including a young member of staff for whom the term ‘rabbit in the headlights’ would have been perfect.

Those invited to the front were in the main a bit embarrassed but went along with the lewd scenarios suggested due to the fact they had a) either consumed quite a bit of alcohol; b) felt a certain amount of peer pressure; or most likely c) a combination of the two.

I remember speaking to colleagues after the event and the responses were mixed between those who had thought the whole thing had been hilarious; to those who commented that it had made them feel uncomfortable.

A few days passed and inevitably once the management had had time to reflect on what had gone down, everyone was sent an ‘all company’ email correspondence in which it was acknowledged that things might have got a bit out of hand, and the bosses apologised for those offended by the events that fateful night.

I mention this because I was reminded about it by the current debate about ‘banter’. And when banter stops and offensive behaviour/language begins.

That email

One of the most high profile incidents of this so far this year involved James Conmy of Guy Carpenter who sent an email inviting people to enjoy some birthday treats he had bought with an email that said: “I hope people like Krispy Kremes – I know [name redacted] enjoys a glazed ring.”

The subsequent storm over the email saw Conmy fired and two further members of staff receive “serious internal sanctions”.

This was not unsurprising in light of the recent publicity about sexual harassment, especially in the London market. Once the cat was out of the bag, his employer was left with little choice. Especially given parent Marsh continues to do so much to promote diversity and inclusion, a fact that was honoured at The British Insurance Awards in July this year.

However, I have spoken to people who I consider right thinking individuals of both sexes and they thought this was nothing more than a storm in the tea cup, and that they had witnessed similar ‘banter’ in their offices without batting an eyelid.

This issue is in the current climate, things that once might have been considered ‘banter’, are now been judged through a different lens. You cannot just use banter to cover up any dubious or close-to-the-bone comments, in the way the Leader of the Free World uses ‘Fake News’ to dismiss views he might disagree with.

This was most recently brought home when Post was sent an anonymous email from someone who had attended a regional insurance event, which included a quiz.

They mentioned that among the team names were such gems as ‘Michael Barrymore’s Pool Party’ and ‘Fred West’s Gardeners’. Which you might get away with down The Dog and Duck with your mates.

However, the one that really riled the sender the most was ‘Not Gay, But 20 Quid is 20 Quid’ which they rightfully characterised as “horrifically homophobic”.

According to the email these team names were not challenged, and in an incident similar to the work awards event I attended a number of years ago, a female member of staff was later brought up to the front of stage and the host made a joke about a notable sexual conquest.

Getting the image right

For many in the room, this no doubt did pass for ‘banter’; and 30 years ago this type of thing would have probably been considered business as usual in insurance land.

But as the insurance sector comes under increasing scrutiny, companies now have to be so much more careful about how their staff behave and what they do in the name of corporate entertainment.

They say industry’s deserve the image they get, and if that is the case then insurance has a lot of work to do. Especially if the industry is serious about becoming more inclusive and diverse.

Networking and socialising are very much part of insurance as it is a ‘people industry’; and long may that continue. I am not advocating that everyone risk manages the fun out of the insurance profession.

It is just that we all need to just be a little bit more thoughtful about how our actions and words might be construed by everyone, not just the in-crowd.

Because when the banter stops, careers and reputations could be ruined. Especially in the smart phone/social media age. And that is relevant all year round, not just the Christmas Party.

Stop, Think and if you are unsure, just Don’t Act. Or to paraphrase Harrison Ford “You can think this shit, but you sure can’t say [or email] it”.