The world changed forever in 2016 when then NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem to protest what he called racial injustice and police brutality. The world didn’t change because Kaepernick highlighted the injustices he believed existed; the world changed because the NFL and corporate media told the American people that it is perfectly acceptable to protest at work.
Now office workers across the country are protesting a seemingly wide array of self-identified injustices. Are these office workers trailblazers or simply petulant children who wake up every day, looking to be offended by something… by anything?
Globally, labor has a long history of staging protests. Historically, these protests were organized by unions (or people looking to unionize) to bring attention to low pay or poor working conditions. Today’s protesters are different, protesting their companies and their companies’ position on social issues, or simply complaining about having to return to the office on a part-time basis.
On May 31, a group of Amazon employees based in Seattle marched out “to protest the retail giant’s contribution to the climate crisis, as well as job cuts and mandates to return to the office. Organized by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, the walkout included several hundred employees.”
AMAZON WORKERS PLAN TO WALK OUT OVER RETURN-TO-OFFICE POLICY, CLIMATE IMPACT
This type of protest is especially common in the tech industry, which is staffed by younger, more idealistic employees. Google employees were “among the first to deploy the strategy in 2018, when more than 20,000 workers around the world walked out over the news that the company had given a $90 million severance package to an executive who was forced to step down over sexual misconduct allegations (which he has denied),” according to The Guardian.
In 2021, hundreds of “Netflix employees walked out of work in protest of the streaming platform’s controversial Dave Chappelle special. The workers, who are organized by ‘Team Trans,’ believe the special in transphobic [and called] for Netflix to commit to releasing more ‘intersectional’ content.”
This phenomenon is not relegated only to high-tech corporations.
In 2019, Wayfair employees walked out of the “Boston-based furniture company’s Copley Square headquarters over executives’ refusal to back out of a sale to a government contractor furnishing a federal detention center for migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border.” Employees also sent a letter to management stating, in part, “we believe that the current actions of the United States and their contractors at the southern border do not represent an ethical business partnership Wayfair should choose to be part of.”
What is fueling this “right to protest” at work movement? The majority of U.S. “employees, especially millennials, believe they have the right to speak up about issues that impact society, according to a report from Weber Shandwick. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. workers said they have raised their voices to support or criticize their employers’ actions regarding a controversial issue affecting society. Most hope to gain the attention of other employees (46%) and top leaders at their organization (43%).
Employees, especially those governed by “right to work laws,” are at risk of being fired for protesting their companies, though examples are few and far between. A former Universal Music Group employee “claimed that they were fired after they refused to do their job duties ‘in deference to abortion rights.’” But this is the exception, not the rule.
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However, employers are beginning to grow weary of protests, especially when it comes to returning to the office. Elon Musk told Tesla employees that they had to come back to work or leave the company. “If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned,” he wrote.
The true test will come as employees’ social protests cause a company to lose customers and value. Disney serves as an example of what happens when a company allows a small group of “hurt” employees to dictate corporate policy.
Disney employees staged protests and walkouts in response to the company’s perceived silence about Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay bill.” The organizers demanded Disney stop making campaign contributions to politicians supporting “the Florida measure and to develop a plan to protect employees from such legislation.”
Disney’s then CEO, Bob Chapek said, “the company made a mistake initially remaining publicly silent on the legislation and pledged to use the moment (the protest) as a catalyst for change.” Disney has lost $50 billion in value since its spat with Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
What is the future of protesting at work? I believe that more and more employers will take the position of Musk. The American consumer is also becoming less tolerant of companies placing DEI and ESG scores above customer service and creating shareholder value. They will soon become tired of seeing office workers protest social issues that divide the nation. The American consumer does not see trailblazers, they see petulant children.
