Preventing Politically Based Conflicts In The Workplace While Respecting Your Employees' Right To Be Politically Active

As November 6 approaches, the presidential candidates and their supporters continue to campaign heavily. Every social media outlet, from Twitter to The New York Times, is saturated with information about the candidates and their views on every contested issue of this election season. Whether one is interested in Mitt Romney's views on taxes and Clint Eastwood or interested in President Obama's views on the Middle East and Jay-Z and Beyonce, almost everyone will find an issue that will strike his or her interest . It seems inevitable that political discussions will find their way in to the workplace.

Political discussions can be a healthy form of everyday conversation in the workplace, stimulating intellectual dialogue and fostering positive work relationships. However, because many of the issues at the forefront of these elections can be deeply personal since they deal with race, class, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, religion, inequality and more, friendly conversations can easily escalate into heated debates. It is important to take steps to attempt to minimize politically based conflicts in the workplace because they can interfere with productivity and lead to formal complaints or even to a potential lawsuit.

Policies

Employers should clearly articulate policies on political discussions and the distribution and display of political information and paraphernalia at work, and enforce these policies consistently.

Encourage Respectful Political Dialogue

You cannot and would not want to prohibit political discussions, even when there is some disagreement among employees. However, you should make clear that working is the priority, and that political discussion that disrupts the work environment is inappropriate. You should ensure that your code of conduct clearly lays out that the company and its employees should respect diverse opinions, beliefs, values, and goals. If there are specific topics that you have found lead to heated arguments and unproductive, offensive behavior, you may ask your employees to refrain from discussing those topics at the workplace during working hours.1

When conversations become heated or discriminatory, you can designate a manager or human resources employee to have a confidential conversation with the employee involved, informing him or her that the discussion could make others feel uncomfortable and limit productivity, and may make the company liable in a discrimination or hostile work...