The Buzz: Politics in the Workplace – ‘You Can’t Say That!’
October 2024
“The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant,” the late George Carlin once said. “Every table had an argument going.” So true — and so like those offices where well-meaning bosses encourage their employees to “bring your whole self to work.” During a divisive presidential election year, arguments about politics are likely to erupt at any moment.
In a Harvard Business Review article, authors Megan Reitz and John Higgins explain it has gotten so bad that 70% of Americans say they “would support companywide policies that limit the discussion of politics in the workplace,” while 60% of U.S. employees “believe that discussing politics at work at all is unacceptable.”
But banning political speech in the workplace isn’t easy, practical or in some cases even legal. And trying to do so can cause serious morale problems. When Basecamp CEO Jason Fried tried to ban such discussions, one-third of employees resigned. It isn’t even easy to define what is “political” and what isn’t, especially when so many aspects of our social existence have been politicized.
Encouraging an uninhibited sharing of political beliefs, however, is also problematic. Trust between co-workers can quickly deteriorate. It’s often the case that the more passionate people feel about something, the less articulate they become, which doesn’t help.
What Can You Do?
What can be done to both respect employees’ rights and maintain an atmosphere of civility in which workers feel engaged and accepted? Failure to do so can affect productivity and hurt recruitment and retention.
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer, and some suggestions — even from reputable sources — sound feeble at best. The boss might bring a “home-baked (or not) cake in to encourage impromptu chat or Zoom meeting agendas that include a few minutes for participants to explain one non-work thing they are finding challenging or are proud of.” (Just don’t expect Zoom meeting participants to get much enjoyment from that cake, whether home baked or store-bought, whatever good intentions might be involved.)
It has also been suggested that a formal “devil’s advocate role” be introduced into workplace teams, “where at every meeting someone is tasked with being the voice of opposition,” in effect arguing with the boss about some policy or initiative — a role no reasonably ambitious person is eager to embrace.
Good-faith efforts to establish an atmosphere of acceptance of different experiences and diverse points of view — whether on political issues or not — will help, of course, and might be the best course of action where no single policy is sufficient. “It’s unrealistic to expect employees to leave their concerns at the door when they sign on for work each day,” says Stephanie Neal, director of the global leadership consulting firm DDI’s Center for Analytics and Behavioral Research.
Learn the Law
And attempting to do so can carry legal implications. While the First Amendment protects Americans from having their speech limited by the government, it does not as a rule prevent private employers from regulating speech in the workplace. That does not mean, however, that they can do whatever they want. State and local laws can limit private employers’ efforts to restrict what employees can talk about on the job, as can Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. Ignore these laws at your own peril.
Read more from Alan Pell Crawford. His new book, This Fierce People, tells the story of the pivotal southern battles of the Revolutionary War.
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Good-faith efforts to establish an atmosphere of acceptance of different experiences and diverse points of view — whether on political issues or not — will help, of course, and might be the best course of action where no single policy is sufficient.
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