"That's Just the Way They Are"
When people work together for long periods of time and get to know each other they often become accustomed to the behaviors of others, even when those behaviors are discriminatory or harassing. We often hear people say, “that’s just the way they are” or “you’ll get used to them, they really didn’t mean anything by it”; as if by knowing someone, it excuses the behavior. But think about the following case. A newer employee has several interactions with a senior level executive.