The teacher’s complaint to the controller: the management was offended by the words “child” and “baby”

The applicant, who submitted a complaint to the controller, said that during the conversation during which the lesson she taught was discussed, the principal and his deputy called her “kid” and “baby”, emphasized her young age, allegedly related to a lack of experience, according to a statement issued by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Controller .

According to school representatives, the relationship between the administration and the teacher was good. In the explanation provided to the equal opportunities controller during the investigation, it was emphasized that the applicant was under guardianship, “called by a diminutive name”, “accusations and criticisms about the lesson were not expressed to the applicant, knowing that a young person can react sensitively to it”.

B. Sabatauskaitė pointed out that diminutive words and an overly patronizing attitude towards young people in the work environment are inappropriate.

“A manager or manager should not call subordinate employees “kids”, “girls”, “boys” and other words not related to the professional field. Criticism should be constructive, communication should be business-like and respectful. The fact that the employee is younger does not mean that a familiar tone is acceptable,” said the controller.

The Equal Opportunities Controller appealed to the Marijampolė Music School administration, proposing to review the procedure for the implementation of the institution’s Equal Opportunities Policy and implementation of the principles of supervision. She recommended to the head of the school to stop actions that violate equal opportunities in relation to the applicant, according to a press release.