I also wonder this when looking at the "Workplace" Stack Exchange site or at Reddit's /r/legaladvice. So much CYA stuff, "you must collect a paper trail", "email yourself your recollection of the situation, so it's time stamped", how quickly you can become a liability for HR and how much companies are scared of getting sued for, to me, frivolous reasons.

Sure this also exists in corporate Europe, but it seems America is more "robotic" in this respect. Well, they'd just call it being professional I guess.