The election is over, but the discussions continue, even escalating into serious arguments and protests between those for Donal Trump and those for Hillary Clinton.
In workplaces, however, the arguments are frequently about things other than politics, and the results can be nasty.
Think your coworker might be a terrorist (ISIS or domestic)? Should you tell someone? Your boss might think you're nuts, not helpful for your career; or she might agree and fire the guy, who will then sue the company for wrongful termination, slander, defamation and a dozen other charges. Your boss won't like that either.
Workplace violence
"In hindsight, after all-too-often instances of workplace violence, co-workers describe the perpetrators as angry, as loners, as bullies, as misfits. Rarely was the 'snap' point predicted. But sometimes it was presaged," wrote Diane Stafford of The Kansas City Star last July. "And that raises questions for all of us in the workplace: Should we 'tattle' if we just think someone might do something awful? How bad should hate speech be before we report it? And to whom?"
In 2016, there were a growing number of both domestic and religious terrorist acts that resulted in hundreds of deaths, both in the United States and around the world. Not all were caused by religious fanatics; some were just a 'loner' gone berserk with an automatic weapon.
Arguments over gun control might even trigger a gun attack. Gun control, climate change, the minimum wage, any of these could be an issue that triggers an outburst from someone. It's called "going postal," referencing a number of employment-related shootings in the previous decade that occurred in the U.S. Postal Service. It wasn't the long-suffering customer waiting in line to mail a package who went berserk with an AK-47.
Workers have more protections in place today and can bring lawsuits for wrongful termination and many types of discrimination. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Employment practices liability claims
There have been disputes between employees and employers over a variety of subjects for millennium. Even the Bible tells of disgruntled employees who were paid the agreed amount for a day's work, then discovered that workers hired at the last minute who had only worked for an hour were paid the same amount. It was old Ned Ludd, fed up with the steam engines that ran the looms at a faster rate than the workers could tolerate, who took an ax to the looms and gave birth to the Luddite Movement.
Today the key word is "Faster! Faster!" It's enough to unhinge someone, and that is exactly what can happen in the 21st century workplace. That is why workers formed unions and went on strike, and why those strikes caused disasters when the bosses fought the strikers. Consider the Homestead Steel strike in 1892, the Pullman strike of 1893 or the Chicago Haymarket riots of 1886.
Protection from abuses
Today, workers have more protection from abuses by employers and a right to bring suit. Lawsuits can be brought for wrongful termination, and discrimination due to religion, race, sex, age or disabilities. Now, says Stafford in a separate article, "Employee lawsuits alleging 'family responsibilities discrimination' are growing at a faster rate than any other kind of employment discrimination…." She cites a study by the Center for Work Life Law, affiliated with the Hastings College of Law, University of California.
It's not only because of all the new-born babies, but also the need for elder care for parents, failure to provide accommodations due to pregnancy, and other needs that modern society places on the family, especially single-parent families.
Job pressures
There are still enough job pressures that may cause an employee to "snap" and start firing a gun at co-workers and bosses, and then the public and the police. Ultimately, it is left to adjusters to pick up the pieces of workers' compensation, employer liability, general liability and employment practices liability claims, plus loss of business income, while the police tape off the scene for investigation.
Although there seems to be an epidemic of violence, maybe it is more due to media coverage than actuality; nevertheless, the violence is out there and needs to be prevented.
Ken Brownlee, CPCU, is a former adjuster and risk manager based in Atlanta. He now authors and edits claims-adjusting textbooks. Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.
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