Eleven Words to Avoid Using at Work, from Journalism Chair Rachele Kanigel

FORBES -- Two experts providing guidance on this sensitive but important topic are May Habib, Cofounder and CEO of Writer, an artificial intelligence driven writing assistant for teams and Rachele Kanigel, chair of the San Francisco State University Journalism Department. Kanigel is editor of the Diversity Style Guide, “a resource to help journalists and other media professionals cover a complex, multicultural world with accuracy, authority and sensitivity.” The alphabetized listing includes more than 700 terms related to race/ethnicity, disability, immigration, sexuality and gender identity, drugs and alcohol and geography. Similarly, Habib offers a diversity and inclusion in the workplace glossary designed to help writers and other professionals use more inclusive language in their day to day work. While I’m personally not a fan of the term “politically correct” as I feel it’s too often used as a scapegoat by those who simply don’t want to do the work of considering others’ viewpoints and perspectives, the truth is that many will make the claim that our workplaces have become too “politically correct.” To this claim Kanigel insists, “Instead of thinking of this as political correctness, think of it as righting injustices and repairing frayed relationships. Inclusive language is not only more sensitive; it’s more accurate.”