Dive Brief:

• About 65,000 American Airlines employees will undergo training on de-escalating conflicts with customers, the Los Angeles Times reports.
• Conflicts with passengers aren’t new to the industry, but the company says that the proliferation of smartphones — and users' resulting ability to launch a viral video — has changed the game.
• While an industry trade group suggests that fewer passengers became “unruly” in 2016, a higher percentage of the clashes involve fighting or threatening passengers and flight crew, the paper reports. Such training became a priority for American Airlines after a video of a confrontation went viral in April, according to the Times.

Dive Insight:

The training news comes just weeks after American Airlines detailed plans to implement company-wide racial-bias training in the wake of allegations that employees discriminate against African-American passengers.

For many employers, the need to train front-facing team members has never been more urgent. Smartphones and access to social media have effectively rendered every visible employee a company spokesperson, making businesses vulnerable to public relations nightmares in the wake of even minor incidents.

Employers also have been increasingly providing employees with training on dealing with sexual harassment or potential assault from customers, and some have gone so far as to provide workers with panic buttons. For employees that interact with the public, proactive training on managing difficult situations can be invaluable.