SET 1

Public-Facing Scenarios

Scenario 1: A member comes up to the counter where you work, looks around, and asks you why you have Pride flags in the area. “I’m not homophobic or anything but I think this is just some political agenda.”

Scenario 2: As your colleague is helping a member of the public, you overhear the person beginning to make comments about your colleague’s physical appearance and attempt to make advances. The person asks personal questions, tries to ask when you colleague is finished their shift and if he can text them later. You sense some awkwardness, and that your colleague might be struggling to handle the situation.

Scenario 3: You overhear a white member of the public approaches your Asian colleague and says “Ni hao.” At your colleague’s look of confusion, the person rolls their eyes and says “Oh, you’re a different kind of Chinese, aren’t you?” They speak in gibberish, on the assumption that it sounds like a dialect that your colleague speaks.

Scenario 4: Janet, your new manager, approaches a member of the public who has asked to speak to the manager. As she reaches the person waiting at the counter, the person looks at her and says, "Oh, can I speak to the real manager?" (Consider how the manager might respond, OR how a colleague who overhears this comment might respond)

Colleague to Colleague Scenarios

Scenario 1: You approach a supervisor for help with a problem you are having with a female co-worker. Your supervisor responds, “Don’t worry about it. She probably just gets upset when it’s her time of month.”

Scenario 2: A new employee is sharing their story at a CRD community event about why they came to live in Canada. She talks about the anti-homosexuality legislation in her country. Someone interrupts and says, “You don’t look gay.” 

Scenario 3: During a team meeting you overhear a colleague talking about the anti-racism effort at CRD, referring to it as part of “the socialist agenda.” During the Q&A, the same colleague asks, “So, we’re all about diversity now and I feel like there is a contradiction. Let’s be honest, we don’t really want all kinds of diversity, right? I mean, I feel like we’re not allowed to have a diversity of opinions on diversity?”

Scenario 4: Your manager wants to address diversity in the workplace. In meetings when the topic emerges, they look at your colleague, the only individual who identifies as an Indigenous person on your team.  You notice that your colleague shifts uncomfortably and averts their gaze when the topic comes up.

Scenario 5: A manager says a homophobic/transphobic slur during a meeting. A colleague speaks up about it but the manager brushes it off and says “It was just a joke. Besides, I’m not hurting anyone since nobody from the LGBTQ+ community is here anyway.”

Scenario 6: A colleague comes out as trans and your manager says in a surprised tone that they “didn’t look trans.” Another one of your colleagues, who is a woman of colour, pulls your manager aside to give them some feedback. You overhear your manager say, “You don’t need to get so mad. Let’s be respectful when we have these conversations.” Your colleague goes back to their desk looking visibly frustrated.