It quickly devolved into declarations of war between and among the nation-states, and then spread into a global conflict. The isolationist United States reluctantly joined in 1917 in the wake of German U-boat torpedoing of American vessels, ultimately playing a pivotal role in drawing the conflict to a close.
Much revisionist history now leans toward the viewpoint that the "Great War," "the War to End All Wars," was largely and tragically avoidable. Be that as it may, it ushered in the 20th century and modern warfare, much as 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars launched the 21st, and the era of post-modern, terror-based warfare that dominates our news headlines.
A century later and geopolitics aside, what can lessons learned (if any) from the first World War teach us about the alarming rise of workplace harassment, bullying and employer-employee disputes that seem to pervade our workplace in 2014?
Recession-related stress or just a sign of the times?
HR professionals are bombarded with articles, white papers and other forms of thought leadership on the subjects of workplace harassment, bullying, dispute resolution and litigation. Some observers and analysts link the recent spike in workplace conflict to the Great Recession and the severe stresses it imposed on individuals and companies alike.
Others hold that sexual harassment and other forms of intimidation have been a growing problem since World War II, ironically enough.
The first world war is widely considered the precursor to, and often eclipsed in history books by, World War II with its accompanying genocidal horrors and use of nuclear weapons.
Much has been written and discussed about contemporary workplace bullying, apart from the commonplace schoolyard and cyber-bullying experienced by the vast majority of teens and 'tweens today – a national epidemic in its own right, not to be trivialized. According to one alarming account just published in Forbes, 96% of respondents to one survey reported experiencing bullying of some kind in the workplace, and the nature of the harassment seems to be evolving – from fisticuffs decades ago to sexual harassment (both opposite- and same-sex-related claims) to browbeating and tacit approval by management.
Adding another dimension to what's widely perceived as a workplace epidemic was a Supreme Court ruling a year ago that seemed to limit the recourse of employees who feel they are being harassed or intimidated by a co-worker only if that individual is technically a supervisor with the ability to fire the employee making the complaint.
The decision set off alarm bells in many circles, seeming to send a message that a certain amount of workplace harassment was somehow "acceptable."
Takeaways from another time and place
Perhaps it's difficult on some levels to draw parallels between global conflagrations and workplace disputes. Then again, many office conflicts arise as a result of internecine alliances, insecurities and miscommunication sourced in e-mails, texts and other technological forms of communication that contain little emotional inflection and often substitute for face-to-face contact.
One thing can lead to another, resentments build up, and, if not nipped in the bud or addressed immediately, a disagreement can turn ugly and cause collateral damage to employees, their bosses and the organizations they work for.
Sound familiar? Eerily, many would argue that it does. Work life, much like family life, is often seen as a microcosm for societal trends. Maybe it's not a quantum leap from workplace harassment or cyber-bullying to a build-up of resentments that can, and indeed have, resulted in acts of violence and destruction by employees seeking revenge. Conflicts can very easily escalate into tragedy on a mass scale.
So an important takeaway from the anniversary of a world-wide conflict that started with a single gunshot is for HR professionals to stay on top of any reported dispute in our organizations – no matter how trivial it may seem. Today's disagreement may turn into tomorrow's corporate disaster.