By Debra Dee Bradford

Dear OD Chatter,

Thank you for your advice, I am the CEO of my family’s business and your column is always spot-on.

My question centers on the way our corporate culture is changing.  Teams are poking at each other about current political events and the discourse has stretched beyond polite conversation.  One example: a passing comment about the American flag turned into a 3-person fight and we had to fire all three.

I have a great HR team but they have not experienced this before.  My company is over 30 years old and in its second generation of ownership.  I’m proud of what we have built and I need each and every person that I have on staff.

Terminations are not easy to make, even when someone may deserve it, I still have a business to run (although it is feeling more like a daycare).  My heart hurts because these are good people but emotions are high.

Complaints have been coming in regularly.  The president’s comments are affecting our culture and new topics walk in the front door every Monday.

Issues are centered on politics, race-relations, and sad to say religious beliefs.  It started last November with the election, moved on to the president’s trips & spending, immigration, Russia, his words after Virginia, and OMG, now it’s football too.

We have harassment policies in place to discourage inappropriate behavior but I’m writing because this out-of-the-ordinary behavior is becoming the normal.

Again, I can’t afford to fire everyone so what do I do?  The growing numbers of complaints require investigation and my HR team is asking for additional staff.

Ultimately I am responsible for everything and I do not want to end up dealing with the EEOC.  Please, what ideas do you have?

Signed, No Politics At Work PLEASE!, Cherry Hill, NJ

Dear ZERO Politics At Work PLEASE!

Employee complaints can be dangerous to an organization that does not have an established investigation process.  An employee complaint may feel like a problem when it really is an opportunity to reinforce your corporate culture.

This is a complex question to answer, so today we will cover the legal risks and ideas on how to call attention to the problem, and next week in part two, we will address a few organizational development methods designed to make a positive culture shift.

Harassment can take the form of slurs or offensive comments.  Verbal or physical conduct may be involved, and while it is not against the law to tease a coworker, an offhand comment made frequently could create an offensive work environment.

We should consider what aspect of your question relates to systematic practices.  The EEOC will investigation by looking at the time it takes an employer to respond.

For example if I come to work late every day as do most of my coworkers, for a year or longer, you would have a difficult time terminating me for tardiness because you have created a systematic practice that took over a year to address.  However, you are taking steps to correct this issue.

The EEOC will also look for proof of severity and pervasiveness, which is not easy to recognize.  For example: a one word racial slur, spoken one or two times could be considered severe and pervasive while another action that occurs three or four times may not be considered severe nor pervasive.

Prevention is the most effective tool you have and it is easier than you would guess.  I recommend that first you review all of your policies that pertain to workplace behavior.  As you update your policies, consider anything you have experienced since your last policy update and be sure each issue is covered.

Next, call a mandatory all-company meeting as soon as you possibly can.  The key is to have a 100% attendance for this important meeting.  This does not have to be your only topic.

While your HR team will cover the policy changes, the most important part is this: as the CEO, you must address your employees yourself and do so in a no-nonsense manner.  It is time to deliver the “zero tolerance” and the “diversity makes us stronger” speech. Communication from the top of the organization is critical to any sustainable culture shift.

Discuss how diversity is more than just gender and ethnicity; a diversity of opinions and lifestyles also count.  Your call to action is insisting that your employees demonstrate your corporate values during business hours.

Next week we will cover organizational development methods to push this change throughout your culture so that in time you and your employees can return to enjoying your workplace!

Thank you for sending your question to OD Chatter!

OD Chatter

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OD Chatter (www.odchatter.com) is written by Debra Dee Bradford, CHRO of ODL Business Partners, Inc. (www.odlbp.com) an HR consulting firm specializing in organizational development and leadership training. To reach Debra, submit questions, or make comments please email dbradford@odlbp.com.