According to a new research study done by the Society for Human Resource Management, nearly half of employees, regardless of political viewpoint, have had a disagreement in the workplace over politics.  A survey done by Politics at Work found that:

–      56% of U.S. employees say politics and the discussion of political issues have become more common in the last four years.

–      42 percent have personally experienced political disagreements in the workplace.

–      34 percent say their workplace is not inclusive of differing political perspectives.

–      12 percent have personally experienced political-affiliation bias.

SHRM President and CEO Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., was quoted saying, “one year out from the 2020 election, and we should expect to see political disagreement increase even further in the coming months.”  With that being said, we all need to be conscience about what is bound to happen. Be aware of the warnings and do whatever it takes to keep these arguments to a minimum.  Although you cannot eliminate these conversations entirely, you can try to elevate the consequences.  One way Johnny Taylor explained to be a successful mechanism is to “create inclusive cultures of civility where difference isn’t a disruption.”

Three years ago during the tumultuous 2016 election 52% of employers reported more politically volatile conversations at work than during previous political campaigns.  At Google, they have tried to stop these disruptive workplace discussions by exhorting employees not to “troll, name-call or engage in ad hominem attacks about anyone” or make insulting or demeaning statements against individuals and groups of people, including business partners and public figures.  

In his speech at SHRM’s recent Inclusion 2019 event, Taylor was quoted saying “"Companies need to be proactive, not reactive. We’re talking about hot-button issues that fire people up, so it’s important to put up ‘guard rails’ when facilitating constructive, inclusive environments where employees can disagree without being disagreeable.”

If you have any questions regarding political conversations in the workplace do not hesitate to reach out. Please feel free to contact us at (610)-296-8550 or info@convergehrsolutions.com.  

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