3 ways to minimize political tension in the workplace: NPR

The controversial US election has caused emotions to run high everywhere, including in the workplace.

Political and social tensions have pushed workplace incivility to an all-time high this year, according to a study by human resources organization SHRM. As American voters finish choosing a new president today, many are preparing for tense conversations with colleagues, whether in person around the water cooler or on Zoom or other digital platforms.

“It’s getting hot here,” says Johnny C. Taylor Jr., SHRM’s president and CEO.

Taylor and other human resources experts say part of the growing fear of a political minefield in the workplace is due to this year’s unprecedented presidential election, which was polarized between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. I think it was caused by the war. They also blame the lingering effects of the violence on January 6, 2021, when a group of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The violence sent a message, Taylor said, that “you have the right not just to disagree with someone, but to physically hurt someone because of their political affiliation.”

For employers, there is more at stake than workplace harmony. SHRM estimates that U.S. companies lose $2.17 billion per day due to lost productivity and disrespectful absenteeism.

Human resources executives are now bracing for continued uncertainty and workplace disagreements over U.S. politics in the coming weeks. After all, it could be days before the country learns the results of the presidential election, and months before the next U.S. president takes office.

“There’s definitely potential for more tension and more arguments,” says Amy Schwind, a lawyer at Lowenstein Sandler who advises employers. “So, as an employer, how can you navigate this situation and minimize the potential for disruption?”

Here are three ways she and other human resources experts suggest companies and their employees can prepare their workplaces for today’s elections and their implications.

1. You can try banning political talk at work, but don’t expect it to be easy.

In recent years, some prominent employers have explicitly banned political discussion in the workplace.

Cryptocurrency platform Coinbase did this in 2020, causing controversy by instructing employees not to “internally discuss causes or political candidates unrelated to work.” Google followed suit this spring, firing dozens of employees who protested its business ties to the Israeli government.

But human resources experts who spoke to NPR said such blanket bans are often difficult to enforce in practice.

“It’s very difficult to manage,” Taylor says. “As humans, Americans talk about politics and social issues, and I don’t know how to force that because every social issue ultimately feels like a political conversation.”

Some employers say they want to encourage workers to express their differences in appropriate circumstances and with mutual respect.

“Building bridges is about having conversations,” says Melissa Anderson, director of human resources and head of transformation at chemical manufacturer Albemarle.

Her company, the world’s largest lithium producer, created an employee resource group to host internal conversations about current events impacting employees.

“In this moment when people are feeling less safe, the best way to deal with your emotions is to feel like you have a safe place to talk about them,” Anderson says.

2. Create a policy on how to talk about politics at work

Ignoring a problem rarely works in the long run. And whatever the outcome of this U.S. presidential election, it won’t be the last time politics will come up in the workplace. So if your office hasn’t yet figured out guidelines for how employees should interact around these sensitive topics, it’s not too late to start.

“Companies need to be willing to sit down and think about their policies,” Taylor said. “There’s a good chance there will be uncivil acts and disagreements, including violence. So how are we going to deal with this?”

Employers also need to think broadly about how they define the workplace, given that many employees work remotely and interact with colleagues online and through social media, Schwindt said. added.

“What employees say on their personal social media can be seen by their co-workers and cause problems,” she says.

Schwind argues that companies that have already developed and communicated workplace policies regarding social media, harassment, and discrimination are in the best position to weather this tumultuous week.

“All of these were in place and should have been followed by employees long before this election,” she says.

3. Be prepared for uncertainty and unproductivity – possibly canceling some meetings

The costs to mental health and office productivity are increasing as partisan sentiment and anxiety over election results increases.

For example, SHRM estimates that every time someone experiences political incivility at work, it takes them more than 30 minutes to regain focus. As Taylor says, “It directly impacts productivity.”

Some employers are taking more drastic steps to reduce the potential for workplace conflicts over politics. Taylor said he recently spoke with one company that canceled meetings for Wednesday and Thursday of this week to avoid forced socializing among employees who voted for another candidate.

He added that the employer compared the US election and its impact on workers to another national event that is generally more festive and lower stakes.

“They likened it to the day after the Super Bowl,” Taylor says. “We know nothing will happen.”