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

By Beth Schaefer, IPD Director

“She leaned forward on the couch, ‘They have affirmations on their walls…’”

– From Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

The character from the book who says this line is conveying to her therapist why she cannot take any more of her cancer support group: she cannot handle all the positive affirmations.

I am reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone for my book club.  Since this book is an interesting blend of funny and introspective, this line made me laugh out loud, but then… it made me ponder how I encourage others at work.

From my series of articles on being the office curmudgeon, it will not surprise you that the two signs hanging on my home office bulletin board are not positive affirmations, but instead say:

I may have appreciated positive affirmations at one time; I probably even had positive affirmation posters hanging in my middle school classroom (that I am now sure were the source of many teenage eye-rolls), but they have since lost their appeal for me.

At a previous job, when I sat in my boss’s office being told that funding was slim, and I needed to lay-off a staff person, did seeing the waterfall poster in the forest on his wall with the positive affirmation make me feel better?

When one of my staff shared with me that they had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, would they have felt better if I had a calendar hanging on the wall with a mountain scene with this saying?

So, if a positive affirmation is not the answer, what is the correct thing to say?

I do not always have the right thing to say in every moment, but I have 2 resource suggestions that have helped me to move from affirmations (aka: platitudes) to affirmation – acknowledging the person and their emotions in that moment.

1. Brene Brown’s video: Empathy vs Sympathy

I have watched this YouTube video several times – especially when I know that I have someone in my life who needs empathy.  I rewatch it because it helps me have a few things to say that actually reflect how much I care for the person.  This video helps me meet the measure: first, do no harm.  It is hard for someone to accept your helping hand if they feel you have just insulted them or belittled their feelings.

2. Marshall Rosenberg’s book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life*

Despite the title, this book is NOT about curbing an urge to hit people but is about empathic listening. I will paraphrase the entire book with a few bullet points, but I encourage you to read the longer version.  I have used this communication formula several times with positive results and had meaningful conversations.

• Determine what you are feeling.
• Determine what (not who) is causing those feelings.
• State the why of the feelings.

Example: (A) I am feeling anxious (B) because the shipping order was not placed until Tuesday (C), and I do not think the supplies will arrive on time.

Example: (A) I feel sad (B) that Leo is leaving; (C) he always added humor to our team, but still worked hard for our team’s success.

If you are supporting a team member who is upset or anxious, use the same formula phrased as a question:

Example: Are you feeling anxious because the shipping order placed on Tuesday may not arrive on time?

Example: Are you feeling sad about Leo’s departure because he has been such an important part of our team?

An interesting observation about these resources is that even when I can tell that people are using these affirmative empathetic listening techniques on me, I do not mind.  In fact, I appreciate that they are doing the best that they can do to support me in emotional moments.

The next time you have an upcoming difficult conversation, prepare by using a resource to help you empathize and affirm rather than rely on a cliché. Because even though the poster** with a picture of the sunset says,

“Success is a journey. Whatever your path, it is your determination to succeed that will get you there.”

I encourage you to pair that determination with professional development and learn new approaches to truly succeed on improving your empathetic communication skills.

* I do not like the title of this book.  Nonviolent Communication sounds like you are navigating boxing matches.  Maybe in the next printing they could go with The Art of Empathetic Expression. Besides being a more accurate title, it would sell more books.  You can have that suggestion for free Puddle Dancer Publishing.

**Note for the fellow curmudgeons in the crowd, you may appreciate a search in Amazon for Snarky Workplace Posters.  I discovered these existed while writing this article.  IPD does not receive any money from Amazon.