Sep 27, 2019

HR experts fear Trump impeachment could fuel "toxic" workplaces

Fadel Allassan

Photo: Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Human resources experts say the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump and a potentially divisive 2020 election could make for tense work environments across the country, MarketWatch reports.

Why it matters: "Toxic" offices have already costed companies $223 billion over the last 5 years, according to the Society for Human Resources Management. An even more politically polarized country could further vex businesses struggling to maintain peace at the water cooler.

  • 22% of workers got into a "heated" discussion about politics with someone at their job, according to a survey by HR consulting firm Robert Half.
  • 15% said their productivity slipped because of those talks.

Of note: Even though issues of workplace sexual harassment have come to the forefront in the last few years thanks to the #MeToo movement, the Society for Human Resources Management's hotline gets more questions about how to handle politics than workplace harassment.

  • Around 1% of the calls they received in 2016 were about sexual harassment, compared to 4% now.
  • About 10% of the 600,000 calls it now receives in a year are about how to handle political disagreements — double from 2016.

Go deeper: Kanye West at the center of Trump's culture wars

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Marisa Fernandez

#MeToo movement drives more state-mandated sexual harassment training

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A handful of new, individual state regulations has resulted in mandatory sexual harassment training for 20% of the workers in the U.S., Bloomberg reports.

Context: That means 1 in 5 workers are now offered such education, as opposed to 1 in 100 as of 2 years ago, Bloomberg adds.

Go deeperArrowOct 10, 2019
Marisa Fernandez

American workers say #MeToo movement won't change workplace culture

Activists participate in the 2018 #MeToo March in November 2018 in Hollywood, California. Photo: Sarah Morris/Getty Images

Most Americans say the nationwide sexual misconduct and racial diversity conversations will have little impact in their own place of work, according to a poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Why it matters: Allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace are on the rise. More than 7,600 sexual harassment claims were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions in 2018, a 14% bump from the year before.

Go deeperArrowOct 22, 2019
Zachary Basu

Senate Intel releases 2nd volume of report on 2016 Russian interference

Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

The Senate Intelligence Committee released Tuesday the second volume of its report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which focuses on the social media disinformation campaign led by the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency.

Why it matters: The report, which provides further bipartisan evidence of Russia's election meddling in 2016, finds "the IRA sought to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election by harming Hillary Clinton’s chances of success and supporting Donald Trump at the direction of the Kremlin."

Go deeperArrowOct 8, 2019