Whether you love or loathe election season, political talk at work is inevitable. With our current political climate in particular, dealing with those conversations can be a challenge.
As the election gets closer, tensions are only going to keep rising. That means managers and leaders need to know how to navigate politics at work. Without keeping a close eye on these discussions, the workplace can quickly become toxic.
So today, let’s spend some time exploring how to deal with politics in the workplace. We’ll cover the current landscape of workplace politics, as well as provide some tips on how to deal with political discourse at work.
The Current Landscape of Workplace Politics
Before you can start dealing with workplace politics, you need to understand the current landscape of things. Gallup’s report on politics at work provides insights into which demographics are more likely to discuss politics at work and general sentiment surrounding these types of discussions as the election nears.
On-site Employees are More Likely to Talk Politics
An interesting but unsurprising fact revealed by this report is that on-site employees are more likely to talk politics. 54% of on-site employees said they talked politics on the job in the past month, compared to only 28% of remote workers.
It makes sense that employees who spend more time with each other doing things like eating or getting coffee talk about politics more. There are simply more opportunities for casual, impromptu conversations, and as a result there are more political discussions.
Another interesting note is that hybrid workers don’t fall equally between the two as one might expect. 48% of hybrid employees said they had a political conversion in the past month at work. Considering all that, navigating political conversionates is generally going to be more difficult in person due to the higher volume of political discussions. Remote employees are having those conversations though too, so don’t overlook them.
Engaged Employees are Less Bothered by Workplace Politics
Gallup’s report also had a very interesting insight into the connection between politics and engagement: engaged employees are less likely to be bothered by politics at work. The report found that engaged employees are half as likely to say they feel uncomfortable from political discussions than disengaged employees. Instead, they say they feel included in these conversations.
Instinctually, that all makes sense. Employees who are engaged with their work, focused on goals, and completing their tasks are busy. They have bigger things to worry about than political squabbles in the office. So what does that all mean? In general, engaged employees are less bothered by politics at work. Engagement can be used as a tool to offset some of the negative effects of political talk in the office.
Men and Older Employees Have More Political Discussions
Another significant insight from Gallup’s report is that men and older employees have more discussions about politics in the workplace. Women and younger people get political in the workplace too, but at a lower rate.
It’s important to embrace all generations and demographics in the workplace. While there’s nothing wrong with men and older employees talking politics, you need to make sure that others aren’t being alienated. All generations should feel comfortable at work, even when sharing political opinions. Employees should have a sense of psychological safety and feel comfortable speaking openly. There are boundaries obviously, but employees shouldn’t feel unsafe for sharing their thoughts.
Also, remember that the loudest and most vocal aren’t always representative of the whole. Many employees don’t engage with politics at all at work, and others aren’t very political in general. Your workplace is probably more politically diverse than you realize.
Tips for Handling Political Discourse in the Office
It can feel like a lose-lose situation where there’s no right answer, but navigating politics at work is possible with the right strategies. Before we start though, it’s necessary to mention that people get very passionate about politics. It’s something that is incredibly important to a lot of people, and they may get excited or heated when talking about politics at work.
Whether or not you agree with someone, try to remember how important politics likely are to them. Like religion, it’s something very near and dear to many people. So be respectful, be mindful of your words, and try to handle these discussions with civility and grace.
Avoid Suppressing All Political Discourse
A common reaction to people talking politics at work is to try and suppress all political discussions. While the intent is somewhat understandable, it is a bad idea for a couple of reasons.
First, total suppression of political talk is illegal. In the United States, people have a First Amendment right, and that includes talking about politics. You cannot suppress people’s freedom of speech.
Secondly, suppressing all talk of politics in the workplace has unintended consequences. It can create rifts between management and employees who feel like their rights are being violated. Those rifts build over time and can result in resentment, toxicity, and more. You have to allow these conversations to occur. Though there are exceptions—which we’ll get to in a moment—employees need to be able to discuss things freely, and that includes politics.
Watch for Toxicity and Discrimination
While you cannot suppress all political talk at work and need to allow it, some lines shouldn’t be crossed. Discrimination, toxicity, and disrespect all cross the line of what is acceptable political discourse at work.
Your business has a mission statement, core values, and beliefs that you shouldn’t compromise. If your workplace emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion, for example, you shouldn’t just throw that to the wayside when people have political discussions on certain topics such as gender and LGTQIA+ rights.
And to be clear, this can be a fine line. You need to be careful when it comes to managing political discussions. However, things like discrimination cannot be tolerated in the workplace, even in the context of political discussions.
Emphasize Common Values
Though employees may disagree politically, they all have one thing in common—the company’s goals, core values, and vision. Emphasize how employees are all working toward a shared goal and how they all just want what they think is best. A good way to do so is with charity team building events.
Events such as Clean Water Connection and Operation Military Care can make employees come together to help those in need. They can also help employees see the bigger picture, minimizing fighting over politics.
Give Employees Productive Dialogue Tools
Arguably the most important thing you can do is give employees the tools they need to have productive dialogue. Having thoughtful and respectful conversations isn’t always easy, so give them a helping hand.
Employee trainings on de-escalation techniques and empathy learnings can help them better understand and empathize with each other. It also helps them better handle the tough conversations that arise when dealing with politics.
These tools are helpful in other contexts too, such as general workplace disagreement, tough situations, and more. So any time spent here isn’t going to be wasted once election season is in the rearview.
Have the Difficult Conversations
Lastly, create a safe space for employees to have those difficult conversations and understand each other’s perspectives. If you don’t allow those conversations to happen, bad feelings can fester and people grow to resent each other for their differences rather than embrace each other.
There are many different ways to handle this. Some businesses set up a separate discussion space for politics with its own rules, such as linking to documents/articles to prevent long posts from clogging discussions or having HR review your statements.
Another option is to have moderated discussions. While this is a more involved approach, it can be quite productive when it comes to helping employees have those conversations and better understand each other.
Help Your Employees Understand Each Other
Politics in the workplace is unavoidable; employees have political opinions, and they are going to discuss those opinions with those around them. Since those discussions can quickly get toxic, leaders need to step up and facilitate healthy conversations and understanding.
At TeamBonding, we have given businesses the tools to deal with workplace conflict for decades. We have numerous team building events that help promote understanding and can make those conversations more respectful and productive.
Help your employees understand each other with TeamBonding. Take an active role in facilitating healthy, respectful political dialogues at work by getting in touch with us today.
