Navigating National Politics in the Workplace

By Beth Porter, Four Corners Broadcasting

Whether it’s local elections for plastic shopping bags or the polarizing 2024 presidential elections, political discussions in the workplace can disrupt team cohesion, cause tension to those not voicing their opinions and generally disrupt the office. How do you lead your team through this quagmire and what can you do legally?

Surveys show that more than half of employees believe that their leader’s political beliefs influence their management styles and decision-making. Wow! In today’s scramble to attract and retain good employees, it matters that survey respondents revealed they have left or wanted to leave a position because of the boss’s politics, and 23 percent of potential job applicants decided not to apply because of a company’s perceived political stance.

It’s probably unlikely that you can create your employee roster with people whose politics align with yours…and you’ll lose out on all the benefits that workforce diversity offer. What are the laws surrounding this topic and as a leader, how can you navigate these often incendiary discussions?

Not a First Amendment Issue

Employees do not have the constitutional right to express political beliefs in a private workplace. The First Amendment only applies to government actions that ban speech. In fact, private employers often can refuse to hire and even fire “at will” people because of their political views.
However, depending on the interpretation of some labor laws, employers cannot restrict politics during non-work time, i.e. breaks, or in non-work areas, like break rooms. At times, labor laws under the NLRA conflict with state and federal EEO laws. You may want to review these laws as we are ramping up to a volatile political showdown.

Create Guidelines and boundaries

Regardless of the legal ramifications, how do you create an environment that give employees the strategies to avoid conflict over politics in a way that allows them to continue to work together amicably? A recent article in SHRM offers these guidelines:

• Acknowledge that with regards to political party or beliefs, tensions are running high and team members may be feeling stress or fear related to the upcoming election.
• Remind employees that everyone in your workplace should feel safe, welcomed, respected and included.
• Communicate that the company isn’t trying to limit healthy dialogue about social issues, but does want to reduce disruptions and maintain a culture of respect
• Encourage employees to approach these conversations from a place of curiosity and accept that they may not find common ground. Further, these types of discussions are unlikely to change someone’s mind, but they may lead to better understanding of each other’s opinions.

Of course, some of this advice can apply to your next family gathering, too!

An article in the Harvard Business Review also recommends you personally set the example.

Set the tone during staff meetings by encouraging different views, demonstrating respect for others and showing a willingness to challenge your own assumptions. Here’s where the bumper sticker, Don’t believe everything you think, applies! Remind everyone that regardless of different voting records, it is still possible to care for and respect that person.

Though tempting, it’s better to NOT ban political talk in the workplace. It’s just at the forefront of too many peoples’ minds. BUT make it clear that conversations should be between team members who want to participate. No one should be subjected to the discussion if they don’t want to be. Stress that communication should be based on curiosity and humility and that someone who was willing to banter yesterday may not be in the same headspace today to be interested or be able to exercise restraint.

As a leader, it is also your responsibility to call someone out if they make an insensitive or inappropriate remark. Let the team know the comment was out of bounds. Follow up with the individual in private to be sure they understand you won’t allow employees to make offensive, hurtful comments.

Whether it’s Red vs. Blue, Cats vs. Dogs or any other topic that people are passionate about, they have the potential to disrupt the team and workplace productivity. These guidelines can help you craft a work environment that encourages inclusivity, demonstrates respect for each other and challenges assumptions.

Looking for an immersive experience in leadership development or to develop leadership skills for a team member? Consider Leadership La Plata, an excellent local resource. Check out www.LeadershipLaPlata.org for more information.

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https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/political-discussions-workplace
https://hbr.org/2020/10/managing-a-team-with-conflicting-political-views

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Beth Porter is the Senior Marketing Consultant with Four Corners Broadcasting and an alumni of Leadership La Plata Class of 2015-2016.