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By Beth Schaefer
IPD Director

Quick Quiz

1. Does your workplace have a policy about discussing politics in the workplace?
2. Does your workplace have policies on political ads in your office window, on your desk, on a button for your lapel or a T-shirt you wear?
3. Do you know what those polices allow and prohibit?
4. Do you know how to enforce it as a leader or how to diplomatically inform a coworker?

Here are the answers that I had before I did the research for this article:

1. Maybe
2. Maybe
3. No
4. No

Yes, it’s a Problem.

In Politics in the Office: Part 1, I wrote about my personal uncomfortable experience with political discussions in the workplace; however, research shows that I am not alone.

• 60% of American workers find political discussions in the workplace UNACCEPTABLE, yet 50% of us admit to engaging in them.
• 42% of American workers report that “political disagreements” with coworkers affect their work production.

Yes, it’s more of a problem now than in the past.

Elections are not new, but our political discourse has evolved along with our workplace behaviors.

• Lines between work and personal life have blurred – driven by remote workers, but also by the American workplace becoming more flexible with families (like many other countries). In the past, your coworkers’ personal lives and political views may not have been integrated into workplace discussions.
• Political discourse has become more divisive. Many political leaders themselves model rudeness and cancel culture instead of conversation and collaboration.  Where you maybe once just disagreed with someone’s vote, now you feel pressure to be suspicious of their character for a differing political view.
• Federal policies have a larger impact on our family lives from the taxes we pay, to the cars, appliances, and windows we purchase, to the healthcare we can receive, to our families immigrating and joining us. Almost 50% of Americans fear changes brought by political elections – regardless of which side wins. This fear makes it difficult to ignore the sidebar of the national election going on outside work.
• In addition, the stress and fear of the election can affect workers’ mental health – which in turn affects your team.

All of these add up to politics being more intrusive to work production now than in the past.

You have options as coworkers and leaders.

Both coworkers and leaders should resist using politics as a reason to demonize people.  This affects workplace relationships and contributes to a disrespectful culture that almost all workers agree they do not want as part of their workplace.

Here are some things you can do or say over the next two months to navigate politics in the office:

As a Coworker

Be aware of others.

• You may enjoy a good political debate, but others may find your conversations draining and time-consuming, so much so that their work performance can suffer, adding stress they do not need.
• Look at body language and listen to coworker statements to gage who may be interested in a political discussion at the water cooler or lunch room, and those who are not.
• Do not assume your coworkers have the same political views that you do, putting them in the uncomfortable place of debating you or dodging you (see Part 1).
• If you are passionate about a topic, consider constructive ways to share your political views and influence policy outside your workday.

Be aware of yourself.

• Know your own specific triggers to help you regulate your emotions at work. For instance, if you have a family member affected by immigration policy, have a statement ready, such as, “This topic frustrates me.  While I know there are two or more sides to every issue, I have family directly impacted which makes it difficult for me to have a neutral conversation with you.”
• If you know that you do not want to discuss politics at work, be ready to dodge engagement. Have some phrases at the ready such as:
  • “I have put myself on a newsbreak, so I would prefer we discuss something else.”
  • “I have too much work to get done right now to do justice to discussing this important topic.”

Be aware of workplace culture.

• • Know your organization’s policy on political discussions. What does the employee handbook say? Can you wear a political T-shirt or button?  Or hang a poster in your office window?  In most states, employers are allowed to make rules about political affiliation.
  • Be aware of social capital. While you may not get fired for discussing politics in the workplace, being aggressive on your viewpoints could affect how others work with you (or not) beyond the election results.
  • If it’s your boss making political statements that are racist or sexist in nature or your boss is not taking actions to squelch inappropriate comments from others, consider submitting a confidential complaint to human resources.
  • Mind your social media. If your social media promotes racism, harassment, discrimination, or threats, employers will need to address it due to liability issues.

Be ready if you engage.

• • If you choose to engage rather than deflect or avoid, view it as a learning opportunity not as the chance to change a vote or change a mind. A sidebar office conversation is unlikely to change anyone’s vote.
  • To open a conversation where you aim to understand another’s point of view, you can try, “I know how I feel about minimum wage law, but I am curious to hear why you feel so differently than I do about it.”
  • If confronted with political viewpoints that you do not want to agree to, have some phrases at the ready based on how much you want to engage in discussion:
    • “I have not had time to research that issue yet. It appears to be quite complex. I will need to discuss it another time.”
    • “I have a different perspective. I do not want to change your mind, but maybe we could schedule time outside of work to discuss our differing perspectives to better understand each other.”
  • Have an out. At some point, you cannot spend the whole work day in the deep conversations necessary to truly understand someone else’s viewpoint on human culture or freedoms.  Be ready to agree to disagree and return to work.  Try a phrase such as, “I appreciate this discussion, but clearly we will not reach agreement today, and I have items in my inbox to get to.”

As a Leader

Know the rules.

• Know the written policies of your workplace for political discussions. Educate your team on them as needed.
• Know the unwritten rules of your workplace when it comes to political discussions. Help your team, especially new members, navigate the culture.
• If you are a leader with no guidance from your organization…well, it may be too late for this election cycle, but suggest they tackle this topic before the next one.

Know your staff.

• • If political discussions are polarizing and disruptive to the team’s work, consider having 1:1 conversations to raise your concerns on unintended consequences and suggest alternative times and places for political discussions to take place.
  • Note the effect on your individual team members. Even if a team member does not speak up, if you are aware that an election outcome will drastically change their life, handle the emotional situation the same way you would handle other factors that affect mental health.

Set the example.

• Be ready to pivot the team conversation when it interferes with work production. “While I do not think we will agree on gun laws today, I think we can all agree that we need a new strategy to streamline the invoice process. Tell me the latest barriers you are experiencing.”
• Be ready to squelch conversations that are against workplace policy, “The tone of this conversation is not appropriate for our workplace culture and goes against our policy on (fill in the blank). It is time to end this discussion and focus on our work.”
• Be ready to privately follow up with individuals whose comments violate HR policy. “You can state beliefs on gender outside the workplace, but when you are at work, our organization believes (fill in the blank), and you need to follow our policy.”

Hopefully, having some strategies and phrases at the ready will help you navigate this election and keep the workplace productive and respectful.

Part 3 of Politics in the Office will discuss the legalities of politics in the workplace along with supporting your coworkers post-election.

Resources for Political Discourse in the Workplace

Discussing Politics in the Workplace

6 Dos and Don’ts of Talking Politics at Work

Dos and Don’ts of Politics at Work

Career Advice for Politics at Work

Talking Politics in the Office

Many of us are familiar with office politics – advocating for power in the workplace.

Increasingly, the angst created by office politics is taking second place to angst generated by politics in the office.

The 2024 Presidential election is being touted as “high-stakes.”  This sense of urgency makes it almost impossible to keep political discussions out of the workplace.  And, with all that comes with high-stakes election rhetoric, it seems almost impossible to maintain a welcoming workplace culture that is inclusive to all points of view.

During my career, I have played many roles in workplace political discussions. Here are some roles I have tried out over the years.

The Observer

The Observer listens to what is being said, but remains silent.  The Observer may (or may not) have a viewpoint, but attempts to appear neutral or mysterious on political views. Never weighing in has several advantages:

1. You never reveal your ignorance of politics or your lack of attention to current events.
2. You never reveal your apathy of politics and risk having someone tell you that you NEED to care and take a stand. It is your FUTURE!
3. You never offend anyone because you have never said anything.
4. You never get lectured by someone who follows you down the hall or catches you in the parking lot trying to convince you of how wrong you are about your beliefs or vote.

The Apathetic

The Apathetic does not care.  And they are vocal about it so that all who work with them know that they find politics to be a waste of time. This allows them the freedom to disengage from any political discussion. While we may find it easy to make presumptions about The Apathetic, there could be several reasons for political apathy:

1. Perhaps they do not feel that either side can fix anything.
2. Perhaps they are embarrassed by the behavior of political leaders and wish to avoid association with any side.
3. Perhaps they are young and free and having too much fun to worry about THE FUTURE.
4. Perhaps, they are too busy working 2 jobs or caring for 3 children or caretaking parents or fighting a medical illness to take the time needed to truly study the issues for an informed opinion.

The Apathetic can present as The Observer IF they do not ever voice their apathy.  Once you take a pronounced Apathetic stance, you will be immersed in workplace political discussions: See #4 from The Observer.

The Worker

The Worker has definite opinions on the state of the country and is current in their knowledge of the political landscape. The Worker may even agree with most of the political rhetoric being heard in the workplace. However, The Worker wants time spent at work to be about working. They want workplace harmony so that they can get things done. If and when progress is derailed, The Worker wants those challenges to be related to the work. I am often The Worker, and I use similar techniques to The Marginal (see below) to manage political conversations in the workplace. Because The Worker is head-down productive, the Worker might be mistaken for The Observer or The Apathetic.

The Marginal

The Marginal believes their opinion is the opposite of most of the people they work with.  As our politics become more combative, more us vs them, more we’re right and you’re wrong, and more all or nothing, I can often find myself in the margins.  Even if I want some of the same outcomes as the majority, the approach and rhetoric being used makes me uncomfortable. I do not want to nod my head in agreement nor do I want to find myself facilitating a political discussion.  The Marginal role is difficult and uncomfortable; you can feel limited on options:

1. Go along to get along. You pretend to agree with political platforms touted by others to avoid an argument, but you may feel like a fraud.
2. Speak up. You can speak up and spark a discussion, but you risk isolation and see (again) #4 of The Observer about people following you to your car.  And, do you risk promotion if you disagree with the wrong people?
3. Divert. The weather is always a good option. This option, while a safe route, can make you feel shallow because it avoids important life topics- at least at work.
4. Avoid. You take steps to avoid certain coworkers or even workplace gatherings and meetings to avoid having to navigate this political situation.  This option can also limit your workplace productivity.

The Majority

The Majority believes that their opinion is the opinion of everyone in the office.  As a young teacher, I firmly believed that those I worked with were on the left.  This appeared to make workplace political discussions easy to navigate because I thought I could predict which statements would be acceptable and which statements would generate animosity.  The environment felt safe because even if I never said a word, I could nod in agreement.  As I spend more time in the workplace, I realize that I am probably never in the majority, but more likely, surrounded by:

1. Observers
2. Apathetics
3. Workers
4. Marginals

When in the role of The Majority, I was making a lot of assumptions about the people in my workplace. And, most likely, I was making many coworkers uncomfortable with my “I have all the answers” political statements.

Perhaps, you have also played (or play) these same roles.  In reflecting on these roles, I realize that I do not think I have ever received any guidance for how to handle politics in the office.  September’s article: Politics in the Office: Part 2 will provide some resources that we might all find helpful to navigate the workplace during this 2024 election season.

Sources Cited

No resources were used in the writing of this article – just my own experiences, observations, and reflections of XX years of being a part of the American workplace.