Should I tell a coworker she is joked about behind her back.?

Question

One of my coworkers has a heavy foreign accent. She is from Taiwan and needless to say she gets joked about regarding her accent behind her back. I'm not sure if I should tell her about it; stand up for her or what. I already know she is embarrassed by the way she speaks English. Any suggestion would be good. Kind of sucks seeing someone get picked on.

Answer 1

I think your co-workers are racist and you should put a stop to it by getting some backbone and telling them their attitude is not cool. I would not tell her-it serves no purpose but to make her sad.

Answer 2

Having enough concern to want to do something is admirable however if you want to be a friend I suggest not telling her about this. It will only cause her more grief and conflicts and ultimately there isn't much she can do about it. What you can do though is much more. Stand up enough to disagree with those that do heckle her and be the lone dissenting voice in the crowd. Sure it might mean they then take off on you but that's one sacrifice that's worth it for a real friend. Continue to disagree with them and just be open and honest with your coworkers and let them know that everyone has problems and things that others won't like. Spend time saying nice things to your Asian coworker and compliment her on things you can compliment her on. If she does find out about it then just be there to comfort her and tell her it's alright that everyone started out being a foreigner in this country at one time or another. Tell her you admire her trying to learn English and offer to be there for her anytime she needs a friend.

Answer 3

first i would like to thank you for having care for my countrymen. Yes, you have to tell her, either way, it will help improve her accent but it's pretty difficult coz Asian are really have a different accent and cant really catch up with people who can speak good accent and fluently. People of your kind should realized that, we were born in our own country and learning your language and accent is already a great achievement but you dont realize that. How if we try to ask you to learn our language too, and we make fun of you and laugh at you, isn't it disgraceful and hurt? They are just so narrowminded and tell that to them! And if you tell that to your friend and she feels bad and turn away instead of fighting what she thinks is worth for doing so, then i say, she deserves that, being the butt of jokes then she wont get any farther. No guts,no glory.
Goodluck to both of you!

Answer 4

I do not know if I would tell her about the jokes since she already is self-conscious now about her dialect or English speaking. So, I would stand up for her and tell others calmly when they joke that she is a good worker--tell them something positive about her. Then see what they say. If they continue in that conversation joking--say well what if someone made fun of you about your _____.--(what ever that person's downfall or insecurity might be).
Then ignore them and politely walk away.

If things don't stop, then go to your supervisor and tell them this and tell them that this girl is probably catching on to this harassment and that something needs to be done--like a lovely meeting on diversity in the work place. That should get your co-worker's attention. Remember--you do not have to tell your boss exactly which ones are being crude--just let him know that it is several people in the office doing this. That should get his/her (boss's) attention to do something about it.
I hope one or all of these ideas work and make sense to you. Good for you for not taking part of this stupidity!!

Answer 5

When an incident like this occurs, it's important that you handle it a certain way. If you call them on their comments, they'll merely make them when you're not around. It's my opinion that if you are in a group and someone feels the need to ridicule this person, speak up and say. "Wow, you really are mean, she always speaks so nicely of you." or "I can't believe you are making fun her after all the nice things she says about you." or "You know if you're having trouble understanding her, I can say what she says more slowly so you'll have time to process it". (My favorite is this, but it'll probably cause some anger......"You can't understand her because she speaks English and you listen in moron.)


Good Luck

Answer 6

That's really mean. She can't help it if she's from Taiwan and had an accent. How would they feel if they had to work in Taiwan and learn Chinese? No matter how hard they tried, they'd have an American accent. I think you should stick up for her. They should be ashamed of being childish and sneaky by talking behind her back.

Answer 7

I wouldn't tell her, because it might increase any stress she is already feeling by being a foreigner.

If she is in a job where speaking understandable English is important (particularly on the phone), her supervisor should be the one to handle it.....though the worker could file suit for discrimination. Awhile back, I read of one man who worked in a call center. He was removed from the phones because no one could understand his English. He sued for discrimination and won the lawsuit.

Answer 8

If the problem is correctable, then I would tell a person. But an accent usually is not. I think you would make her feel worse by confirming her fears of being an outcast, etc. If it bothers you, don't stay around when they make fun of her or point out how childish they sound by doing so.

Answer 9

If you care, mention that others have noticed her thick accent when using the specific phrase, then demonstrate to her the difference in how she says the phrase and how most English speakers (except in deep south) say the phrase. Explain lip and tongue position. End politely and pleasantly.
If you hear others laughing about the accent, kick the crap out of them.

Answer 10

First of all, I sense a deep sincere person in you. Unless you plan to spend some reasonable time with the lady, you should not mention the foolishness that you hear. Just show the others by example that you treat every one with respect. Perhaps they will see and learn how to be adults and have common sense about themselves. You could also quietly learn Taiwanese and help the lady to feel more comfortable in your office setting. God is all that I wish to please in this life. Read Psalm 35 to (Plead My Cause) - It is long winded and worthwhile. Also read Psalm 4 for (Safety and Protection) against unknown occurrences. "The Lord daily loadeth us with blessings, even the God of our salvation." - Psalm 68:19. Remember this, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31. Peace and God Bless.

Answer 11

Dana your co-workers are acting like morons. Making fun of someone is just plain childish and immature. I would tell your supervisor and get s/he involved. Your friend can't help that she has a strong accent. She should not feel bad for being who she is in another country. Tell her to keep being her and forget the haters. What goes around comes around and for them it should come much quicker.