Workplaces urged to forbid cricket chat: "It is a gateway to more laddish behaviour"

The Chartered Management Institute says sports conversations exclude men and women and firms should do a better job to include everyone

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Conversations about sport, including cricket, should be prohibited by firms because they promote  "laddish" behaviour and culture.

That is the view of the Chartered Management Institute, who are urging companies to pay closer attention to the subjects its workers engage in.

Research carried out by CMI says both men and women are alienated by chats regarding sports such as football and cricket.

Chief-executive Ann Francke OBE also insists that these topics are a pathway into more chauvinistic behaviour, including boasting about one's love life.

"I have nothing against sport enthusiasts and cricket fans, that's great," Francke said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "But the major issue is many people aren't cricket fans. 

"It is more about you as a team leader or a leader of an organisation if you permit that kind of banter you are excluding people and your job as a leader is to include them.

"A lot of women, in particular, feel left out. They don't follow those sports and they don't like being forced to talk about them or not being included in the conversation.

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"It is a gateway to more laddish behaviour and if it goes unchecked it's a signal of more laddish culture. It is easy for it to escalate from the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) talk and chat to slapping each other on the back and talking about their conquests at the weekend. 

"My point is this shouldn't be banned. My point is if you're a leader of an organisation or a team, part of your job as a good leader is to be inclusive and that everyone feels comfortable. 

"I bet if you go around and ask people who are subjected to this whether or not they feel comfortable or included they are going to tell you that they do not.

"Good colleagues and good leaders notice when people are feeling uncomfortable but the harsh reality is CMI's research says four out of five women and men notice this kind of behaviour that hold women back at work.

"Many organisations or men do not react by being a good human."

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