Talking Politics at Work: HR’s Roles and Responsibilities

The upcoming elections have led to heated discussions across the U.S. It is challenging to control talking politics at work – primarily when employees work remotely. But it would benefit HR to implement policies to prevent inflammatory statements that mainly affect underrepresented employee groups in the workplace. We discuss the considerations for HR looking to formulate policies that govern the discussion of politics at work.

Perspectives on talking about politics at work can vary widely. For example, in a small, disruptive startup environment, leaders might encourage insightful political debates to engage team members. But for large companies, talking about politics at work can be a more complex issue.

Consider how in a 2016 meeting, Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin told his colleaguesOpens a new window that he had found the recent election “offensive” as “an immigrant and a refugee.” Approximately two years later, a video of that meeting surfaced, leading to accusations that the company was politically biased.

Now, many workplaces work remotely. HR should play a proactive role in monitoring politically inflammatory discussions. Additionally, providing a forum where employees can report aggravating political speech becomes critical to take appropriate measures. At the same time, it is also essential to be mindful of employees’ needs for self-expression.

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How Companies Are Dealing With Political Discussions at Work

A 2019 Glassdoor reportOpens a new window predicted that in 2020, the workplace would get more political with the U.S. presidential election coming up. “In particular, we’re likely to see more companies and employees embracing their stances on social issues in 2020, potentially impacting both employer branding and day-to-day workplace culture,” the report said.

And here we are in 2020, with several companies taking a stance on political discussions at work.

Coinbase declares itself apolitical

A week ago, Coinbase co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong published a blog postOpens a new window in which, among other things, he mentioned that Coinbase had an apolitical culture. He asserted that the company must focus on its business from a cultural standpoint and leave politics at the door.

This declaration has opened up a debate on whether the workplace can be genuinely apolitical and whether it is apt to do so in a time when political issues are at the forefront of all conversations these days – including the upcoming U.S. election.

Facebook fires an employee for calling out a colleague on their apolitical stance

In June 2020, a Facebook employee was firedOpens a new window for calling out a colleague on Twitter for his inaction on the BLM movement. The said colleague expressed that he didn’t want to take a political stance on a workplace conversation. The fired employee admitted that he would have quit anyway because of Facebook’s inaction on the topic.

LinkedIn’s townhall on racism turns into a platform for racist comments

In the same month, LinkedIn’s townhall on racism turned into a platform for some employees to anonymously post comments supporting racism. LinkedIn didn’t take any action against these employees, but CEO Ryan Rolansky publicly postedOpens a new window about the event calling the option to post anonymous comments a mistake. He also reassured all his employees that “I will do everything in my power to create the company where you feel you can bring your whole and best self to work every day to help us create a more fair and equitable future.”

Cisco fires employees for negative comments on the Black Lives Matter movement

In July 2020, Cisco fired some employees for making derogatory comments on the Black Lives Matter movement during its virtual diversity forum. The company stood by its decision even as it was threatened with wrongful termination.

Goodyear supports only some political merchandise at work

In August 2020, Goodyear made news for specifying during a training session that it would allow employees to wear BLM merchandise but not Blue Lives Matter or MAGA (Make America Great Again) merchandise. Forced to retract this policy owing to pressure from the U.S. president himself, Goodyear still does not allow MAGA merchandise but will support Blue Lives Matter attire on its premises.

Some have lauded all these organizations for taking a stance, while others have called them out for hampering free speech.

Learn More: Revising Internal Employee Communication for Inclusion: Facebook Shares New Guidelines

An Apolitical Workplace Does Not Exist

Evidently, being apolitical is not a choice. If not the organization, employees will have a political stance, and some may be very open about it across different platforms – including company platforms.

Interestingly, employees’ freedom of speech in the workplace is restricted by the impact of said speech. In other words, employers can ban conversations deemed detrimental to workplace harmony and culture without infringing on an employee’s rights.

But this is a relatively extreme measure. It’s a smarter idea for HR to transparently communicate the reasons for limiting political discussions and creating a respectful environment for employees to have these discussions.

It’s important that HR emphasizes the organization’s core principles and, in doing so, reiterates that the work environment should be a place of mutual respect – where employees feel valued and appreciated by their employer and co-workers.

– Richard Burke, CEO of Envoy GlobalOpens a new window

According to Burke, workplace discussion policies should focus on work-related issues but not explicitly ban or forbid sensitive topics like politics. Your employees might feel strongly about a specific political candidate, their contribution, and a personal relationship with the issue. In this context, it is vital to acknowledge the “voice of the employee,” even as you look at maintaining peace at work.

The lines between setting “acceptable workplace dialogue” and suppressing first amendment speech have blurred in recent years, particularly in the court of public opinion. So many companies have come under fire for suppressing employees’ dialogues about workplace behavior, politics, and policy, so it’s important not to follow suit.

– Ali Fazal, senior director of marketing at HibobOpens a new window

4 Tips to Help You Mediate Workplace Discussions on Politics

There are a few things you can keep in mind when managing debates on political issues among employees. Here are four tips for you:

1. Create non-discriminatory policies that apply to all employee groups

There shouldn’t be any special treatment – for example, every employee, regardless of their nationality or sociocultural background, must come under the same rules when talking about politics at work. Also ensure that employees have a safe space to report harassment.

Fazal mentions, “Racism, bigotry, and prejudice aren’t merely ‘a difference of opinion’ – if you [employees] experience this in your workplace, know that it is totally acceptable to approach HR with the problem, and it is HR’s remit to help solve it swiftly and effectively.”

2. Identify and avoid hot button issues

Some debates have no resolution and will only serve to create conflict. Racism, pro-life/pro-choice legislation, and anti-mask movements are some such issues. If these discussions occur on a public platform at work, HR/team leaders can step in and gently nudge employees to avoid heated conversations. This is not to inhibit political expression at work – which you can state clearly in your policy – but ensure that employees maintain a cordial work environment.

3. Start with policies around political clothing and campaign material in the workplace

An employee carrying a coffee mug with political branding or sporting a T-shirt with their preferred candidates’ tagline is sure to get others talking about politics at work. The U.S. does not offer any legal protection on wearing political clothing at work, and employers may be within their right to ban such political expression, positive and negative.

4. Watch social media and online conversations

Social media conversations demand the most attention from HR in the digital age. An employee’s political comments on social media can be recorded, decontextualized, and cited as an accusation later on. Having a policy on this can be tricky and will have to navigate specific situations in which such statements are made.

While these tips make it easier to manage employees who talk about politics, they can’t prevent such discussions entirely. Particularly in an election year, your workforce is sure to chat about possible candidates and their pros/cons casually.

That’s why you need to revisit your workplace policy framework and company culture with an eye on openness, transparency, and inclusivity of different viewpoints.

Learn More: More Companies Set Targets for Diversity Hiring: But Is It Enough?

Put a Long-Term Solution in Place

It isn’t feasible (or even justifiable) to eliminate all discussions about politics from the workplace. Last year, Google tightened its regulatory policies and banned political discussionsOpens a new window on internal mailing lists and forums – it even created a “central flagging tool,” which would let employees report each other. Moves like this will only create unrest in your workforce, and make your culture appear unfair and restrictive.

This is probably why most companies do not formulate strict policies of this kind. For instance, a survey of Illinois Technology Association members found that 79% of tech companiesOpens a new window  in Chicago don’t have a policy for political talk in the workplace.

“Creating a policy that completely controls or bans political discussions at work is not sustainable. In today’s society where politics are central to everyday life, it’s bound to come up in conversation,” agrees Burke.

“We believe a more prudent course is for employers and HR leaders to offer guidelines on how employees can navigate these conversations. For example, encouraging in-person conversations and establishing a culture – supported by our leaders – of open, honest, and transparent communication,” he suggests.

Be sure to publicly stand behind your most marginalized employees, particularly those in the BIPOC and LGBT+ communities – making your stance clear and transparent isn’t taking a political stand, it’s just the right thing to do for all your employees in the current climate.

– Ali Fazal, senior director of marketing at HibobOpens a new window

It can be difficult for companies to regulate how employees talk about politics in the workplace. On the one hand, there should be a zero-tolerance policy towards hate speech or in-person hostility. On the other hand, you need room for meaningful, engaging, and constructive debates, even if it’s unrelated to work. The secret to striking a balance is to build a culture that’s intrinsically inclusive so every employee feels a sense of belonging and can work well with anyone, no matter their political affiliation.

How are you navigating political discussions in the online workplace? Tell us on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

[Updated on: Oct. 7, 2020]