What to do when politics spills into the office
Hunters and PETA. Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers. Packers and Vikings. These days, those rivalries pale next to the all-out war between Democrats and Republicans.
Have you felt tension, anxiety, frustration, anger and confusion in your office over the presidential election? If so, you’re not alone. The controversy over election recounts, dimpled and pregnant chads, and Al Gore’s seemingly unending legal challenges have spilled into the workplace, sometimes leaving employers confused and frustrated over the best way to handle the issues.
In the past, politics ranked right up there with religion as being "too controversial" to discuss at work. So it was easy to keep those topics off limits. But discussions have been inevitable the last few months, and employers have been vulnerable to nasty confrontations and resentment.
Despite promises from both political parties to work together, the divisiveness could remain – in Washington and in the workplace. Following are some guidelines on how managers can deal with the problem of politics in the office.
What is, isn’t OK
Research shows it’s best to discourage political discussions, particularly those dealing with politics and religion.
– Buttons on clothing are OK, but clothing that has political messages isn’t.
– Buttons that are not obnoxious or derogatory are permissible. For example, a "Bush/Cheney" button would be OK.
– Bumper stickers and other political signs posted on the sides of desks, file cabinets and walls are inappropriate. Normally, again, the name of an employee’s favorite candidate is OK.
Mum’s the word for managers
Managers, supervisors and business owners are best served by keeping political opinions to themselves while at work. If they state their views, they run the risk of alienating employees who don’t agree with them.
In fact, employees might feel threatened if they don’t openly agree with their managers, then wonder if their performance reviews, work assignments and raises are in jeopardy. One of the reasons we have so many "protected categories" of employees is to eliminate real or perceived discrimination, retribution, unfairness or favoritism.
Historically, managers have taken differing approaches to addressing issues that aren’t related to work but beg for airing. One of the most common approaches is humor, which helps diffuse some of the tension and, of course, adds levity.
For example, some companies have permitted bulletin-board material to be posted as long as it’s truly funny and not dark, pontificating, offensive or inappropriate. National comic strips and cartoons can be posted anonymously. Election-related material found on the Internet can also be permitted, as long as employees aren’t using company time and equipment to surf the net and print the material.
An alternative
Another way to handle opposing viewpoints on controversial issues is by holding brown-bag lunch discussions. Employees are invited to bring their lunches and listen to an expert speaker or a panel. For example, you might invite two local attorneys with differing viewpoints to discuss a particular topic in the news. They can offer their own opinions and answer questions. The idea is to focus the discussion during the lunch hour, answer questions and allow employees to have meaningful debate in a controlled setting.
After talking to many managers in my private consulting practice and in my role as a chair for Executive Agenda, an executive development program, there’s clearly a popular choice on how to handle political controversy. Most companies do not encourage discussions that could jeopardize employee relations, productivity, or harmony in the workplace.
They don’t go so far as to forbid discussion – that’s nearly impossible – but they often won’t permit bulletin-board material, e-mails, postings, buttons, clothing with slogans or sayings, or anything that might cause two or more sides to debate openly. And they often state that in a written policy.
No matter how you choose to address topical, non-work related issues, each situation should be assessed individually. Know your employees and understand what they need and how they might react to certain issues. Company culture, racial/ethnic make-up, and general employee morale are all factors. Also, know what will help your people stay focused on the work. Decide for yourself whether a healthy discussion will benefit everyone.
Kurt Thomas is a human resources consultant with Franklin Consulting Services in Port Washington. He also chairs two groups for Executive Agenda, a full-service executive development program in Wisconsin for senior executives and managers.
