“What gives someone the right to listen in and object to the content of a private conversation which is not directed at them, and which isn’t loud to the point of unwanted public announcement? “
There was a written policy that said something along the lines of: “If a statement is overheard by an uninvolved party and that third party views it as discriminatory or offensive, then, by definition, it is.”
Jeez. I don’t know about the rest of your company’s personnel manual, but that’s flat out ridiculous.