Some apparently don't think civility matters any more. "Your body, my choice" signs are popping up across the country, while elsewhere Black students are receiving anonymous texts about "picking cotton." The results of the 2024 Presidential election have emboldened some to express their most offensive thoughts.
I'm not ready, however, to give up on civility. But we have to take a stand. No matter who sits in the Oval Office, words still matter.
As an employer, your words (or those of your employees) might not lead to a lawsuit, and even when they do it can be hard for an employee to win. The bar to establish an actionable hostile work environment is a high one. But make no mistake: they matter. What you say—or allow others to say at work—about race, sex, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, religion, immigrants and national origin, disability, and age all set the tone.
Rarely, though, do those words create liability. As one court put it, "The pluralism of our society is mirrored in the workplace, creating endless occasions for offense. Civilized people refrain from words and conduct that offend the people around them, but not all workers are civilized all the time. Title VII is not a code of civility."
Our workplace laws aren't civility codes, but that doesn't excuse uncivilized and offensive behavior.
Employees might be offended by the words they hear in your workplace. Just because those words might not be legally actionable doesn't mean you shouldn't take action. First, your inaction could lead to liability. More importantly, your inaction signals that you condone, or worse, agree with the message. That shouldn't be the type of employer you want to be, nor the type of employer employees should want to work for.
I'm not ready, however, to give up on civility. But we have to take a stand. No matter who sits in the Oval Office, words still matter.
As an employer, your words (or those of your employees) might not lead to a lawsuit, and even when they do it can be hard for an employee to win. The bar to establish an actionable hostile work environment is a high one. But make no mistake: they matter. What you say—or allow others to say at work—about race, sex, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, religion, immigrants and national origin, disability, and age all set the tone.
Rarely, though, do those words create liability. As one court put it, "The pluralism of our society is mirrored in the workplace, creating endless occasions for offense. Civilized people refrain from words and conduct that offend the people around them, but not all workers are civilized all the time. Title VII is not a code of civility."
Our workplace laws aren't civility codes, but that doesn't excuse uncivilized and offensive behavior.
Employees might be offended by the words they hear in your workplace. Just because those words might not be legally actionable doesn't mean you shouldn't take action. First, your inaction could lead to liability. More importantly, your inaction signals that you condone, or worse, agree with the message. That shouldn't be the type of employer you want to be, nor the type of employer employees should want to work for.