Terri Howard, FEI Senior Director

I watched in horror as demonstrators were viciously beaten outside the Turkish Embassy in D.C. last week. It was stressful enough to watch on television, and must have been a terrifying scene for people who were physically there.

In the wake of the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots, the ongoing and turbulent political season and the polarization of our country in general, I began to think that all of this surely must be taking a toll on the workplace. In fact, it is.

We’ve received an increase in employee assistance service center calls from clients who have been impacted by community events spilling into the workplace. They struggle with increased stress, irritability and frustration. How does the workplace need to respond? The answer is based in diversity, expectations and supervision.

Diversity

Often when we think of diversity in the workplace, we think about numbers: How many women, how many people of color, how many handicapable employees, etc. The reality is that diversity should not only embrace people’s differences on the outside, but the diversity of thought and opinion people have on the inside. Employees should be encouraged to voice their beliefs, have healthy debate and agree to disagree.

Expectations

Employers need to exhibit clear expectations of acceptable workplace behavior so as not to contribute to confusion and polarization. For example, if employees are allowed to hang political propaganda in their work area, expect that there will be differences of opinion. Consider creating town hall meetings or social group discussions to provide forums for addressing such differences before they become problematic.

Supervision

Supervisors have a responsibility when dealing with this issue as well. Not only should they model expected behaviors, but also serve as the conduit for de-escalation, mediation and performance management when necessary. Adding this skillset through training is a great way to enhance a supervisor’s ability to deal with workplace issues confidently and competently.

We live in a world where civil unrest will continue, if not increase in scale and scope. The workplace plays a vital role in managing opinions and attitudes as they move from the community into our organizations. Making sure we are prepared for this move is a necessary
first step.