Staff at Princeton University have been ordered to stop using 'gendered words' in order to make the workplace more inclusive.

In a memo issued by the HR department at the Ivy League school, staff are instructed to stop using the generic term 'man' and all job titles involving the word.

Rather than referring to 'foremen' and 'man hours', employees are now expected to use 'fore people' and 'person hours' instead.

Princeton HR staff have been given new guidelines on using gender neutral words in all written communication and job adverts to make the college more inclusive

Also out the door are 'gendered pronouns' such as 'him and her', to be replaced with the plural 'they'.

According to the memo the new guidelines will cover all written communication by HR staff, including job postings.

The note says: 'These communication guidelines reflect the inclusive culture and policies at Princeton University.

'Gender-inclusive language is writing and speaking about people in a manner that does not use gender-based words.

'Gender binary is the traditional view on human gender, which does not take into consideration individuals who identify as otherwise, including and not limited to transgender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and/or intersex.'

As an example of the new rules, officials suggest the sentence 'Each participant must present his ID badge at the door' should be rewritten as 'All participants must present their ID badges at the door.'

Employees are also advised to eliminate pronouns altogether, where possible, repeat generic terms such as 'the student' instead of using he or she, and to address the reader directly by using 'you' and 'your'.

Staff have been told to stop using the generic term 'man' and all job titles involving the word in order to be more courteous to those who do not identify using 'binary' gender categories

Instead of using 'he' or 'she' in job listings, staff are told to use more generic terms or the plural 'they', and to eliminate pronouns wherever possible

Staff are told: 'Use gender-neutral occupational titles and gender-neutral generic terms instead of the generic term man, generic words, and expressions that contain the word man and the use of man as an adjective or verb.

'Avoid expressions like career woman. Instead, be specific: artist, director, doctor, professor, etc.'

A spokesman for the college said: 'The Human Resources Department at Princeton University has for several years encouraged the use of inclusive language, in keeping with the University’s overall effort to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

'About two years ago, HR developed guidelines to be used in official communications from the department, as is common practice at other institutions.

'The guidelines encourage the use of language that is broadly inclusive in job postings, policy statements and other documents and reflect the inclusive culture and policies at Princeton University.

'No words or phrases have been banned at the University, which places a high value on free expression.'