The Diversity Digest, a publication of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Equal Opportunity, advises that the terms husband and wife should be stricken from workplace conversation and written matter. In an article titled "Toward Greater Inclusion in the Workplace," Nick D'Ascoli, chairman of the institutes' Gay and Lesbian Employees Forum, calls for "inclusive language" that would not be offensive to those who do not have husbands or wives but have a "partner," a "domestic partner," or a "significant other." Since this inclusive terminology is still evolving, D'Ascoli notes, it is acceptable for the time being to put forth one's best effort not to cause discomfort to anyone who is "gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered."

The Office also released a booklet for employees titled "50 Ways to Respect Diversity and Positively Impact the Work Environment." The booklet, which is part of the Workplace Diversity Initiative, contains helpful tips such as these:

• Start interacting with someone who is different from you. "Do lunch," take a walk, meet for coffee, go to tea, or otherwise engage someone new and different. Any difference will do.

• Add extra meaning to brown-bag meetings by adopting a food theme such as vegetarian, kosher, and ethnic cuisines.

• Do not laugh or participate in jokes that bash others or reinforce stereotypes. Even lawyers have become sensitive about being the butt of jokes that demean.

• Remember that bashing jokes can also include jokes about white males, gays, and lesbians.

• Develop a technique to let persons know when you hear them refer to women as "girls," or when you hear a team of men and women referred to as "you guys."

• On an individual level, ask co-workers if they prefer to be called "Native American" or "Indian," "Black" or "African American," "Hispanic" or "Latino," "hard-of-hearing" or "hearing impaired," and "people of color" or "minority." ...

• Start a diversity resource center or library in your organization.

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