I was just working with a client who recently dealt with an employee complaint of national origin harassment. Their cafeteria tv was broadcasting CNN, and there was a panel discussion of how a particular governor had bussed migrants to a sanctuary city. One employee remarked that barring all Venezuelan migrants from entering the US would definitely keep the country safer. Unbeknownst to anyone, an employee who was at an adjacent table was married to a Venezuelan and felt uncomfortable with the employee’s comment which he overheard. He raised the issue to his manager who told him to let it go as he probably didn’t intend anything offensive by what he said. The employee couldn’t let it go and took the issue to HR, who ended up discussing the issue with and reprimanding not only the employee who made the comment but also the manager who failed to escalate the issue to HR. Politics is a hot topic, especially during an election year, but when do employees cross the line of civil debate vs. a hostile work environment? Does intent make a difference? What if your comment wasn’t directed toward the person who ultimately takes offense? What should a manager say and do if they receive this kind of complaint? If these are questions which you’re dealing with in your workplace, I’d be happy to provide solutions to these and other workplace challenges.
