6th March 2018:
Title: Qantas encourages gender-neutral language to be used by staff – so ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ will be out as staff told to avoid ‘manterruptions’
Staff will be encouraged to use the gender-neutral words on its flights via the “Spirit of Inclusion” initiative, which began earlier this month.
They have been handed a booklet with advice about which words they should avoid in future.
These include “love” and “honey”. And instead of "guys" the airline wants staff to refer to people as "folks".
The booklet advises staff that “manterruptions” - which is when a man speaks over a woman - should be avoided.
“Husband and wife” should also be replaced by “spouse” or “partner” if possible.
Meanwhile “mum and dad” is to be avoided with “parents” used instead.
The leaflet reads: "Language can make groups of people invisible. For example, the use of the term chairman can reinforce the idea that leaders are always men.
"Words like love, honey or darling, even when used as terms of endearment, often offend. In the workplace, it is best to avoid these sorts of words."
Qantas’ people and culture group exec Lesley Grant said: “We have a long and proud history of promoting inclusion among our people, our customers and society, including support of indigenous issues, gender parity in business and marriage equality.
“We want Qantas to be an environment where everyone feels comfortable to bring their whole selves to work.”