When it comes to dealing with other people in the office, old, automatic responses may no longer be as reliable as they once were. Disabled workers, the foreign-educated, sin- gle parents supporting a family, adult children caring for aging parents, and workers with nontraditional lifestyles all make the office a much more complicated place than it was when the boss-as-model learned on the job.
Today’s catchphrase is cultural diversity—a descriptive term, because the workforce is changing, employee relationships are changing. Some behaviors may need rethink- ing; others may call for full-scale remodeling. For example, public organizations are compelled to reject discrimination and sexual harassment on ethical grounds. Another behavior that warrants censure is sexual assault, in response to which the Air Force Academy adopted a policy by which “a complaint will automatically prompt a formal criminal investigation but victims will no longer have the option of remaining anony- mous” and announced it “will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, intimidation or assault of any kind!”