Everywhere one turns these days, there is evidently much discord and disagreement. Much has been written describing, analyzing, and decrying the seemingly ever-increasing divisions in our society. People express the belief that we as a society are becoming more intolerant, less civil, and less accepting of differences. In fact, some may describe it as the defining element of our times.
Historians and researchers have categorized this state of affairs as political polarization. Survey after survey, poll after poll, point to the same observation; American society is becoming more divided, not less so. Go beyond polls; ask your neighbors or friends or coworkers what they think, and chances are they’ll echo these sentiments, at least to some degree.
A few practical issues stand out. Instead of exerting time and energy trying to get at the origins of disagreements, the focus here will be how to actively manage situations in the workplace or on the job site. Among the many kinds of concerns, perhaps the most pressing ones are these; how to work with people who may hold different political views, and how to be respectful and a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) supporter during these times, especially given the recent pushback against DEI initiatives in general.
What the data shows
Some recent studies provide insights into the state of the workplace today. For instance, a 2022 study from the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) shows that “1 in 5 U.S. workers (20 percent) have experienced poor treatment in the workplace by coworkers or peers due to their political views.”
Some other key findings from the 2022 SHRM Politics at Work Study show that:
• 45 percent of U.S. workers say they have personally experienced political disagreements in the workplace, compared to 42 percent of U.S. workers in 2019.
• Those who work fully in-person (50 percent) are more likely to say they’ve experienced political disagreements in the workplace than hybrid workers (36 percent) and fully remote workers (39 percent).
• More than a quarter of U.S. workers (26 percent) engage in political discussions with their coworkers.
• Only eight percent of organizations have communicated guidelines to employees around political discussions at work.
A typical workplace is bound to be diverse across many different factors. These include racial differences as well as recent immigrants from around the world, the range of religious diversity, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Any one of these factors or combinations can be a source of a political disagreement in the workplace. Unfortunately, the pandemic and subsequent events have added to or exacerbated differences in many cases.
Then there are age differences and the differing generational outlooks that come with it. Think of the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, or the newest generation of college graduates just entering the workforce, Generation Z, who are often described as being the first truly “digital native” generation. Each of these generational cohorts has differing views of the workplace, of its expectations and demands, and what they consider “normal” or standard practice that others should be held accountable to.
Such differing expectations are real. A recent study from Deloitte found evolving trends and attitudes among Millennial and Gen Z employees. Most notably, these generations tend to think that employers are responsible for promoting social values such as diversity and equity in the workplace, and they look for employers who demonstrate these values in their actual day-to-day business practices.
What we can do (practical recommendations)
With so many potential flash points and the awareness of so much political polarization in society generally, how can people best deal with these issues in today’s workplace?
One suggestion is to ban political discussions in the workplace to stay focused on organizational goals instead of letting politics take over. But the consensus seems to be that this is a bad idea.
For instance, Heidi Brooks, senior lecturer in organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, says that focusing on a respectful, compassionate, and curious culture is more effective than an outright ban on talking politics. As Brooks notes, “It’s a dicey time. I’m making a bid for wisdom and compassion and empathy. I’m suggesting we prioritize learning and curiosity.”
Morela Hernandez and Michael Pratt, writing for the MIT Sloan Management Review, also argue that outright bans are counterproductive, especially given that work and personal boundaries are as porous as they are today.
They write that “the challenge is that most of us have personal views about public policy that affects our nonwork lives, and we tend to have strong, visceral reactions toward individuals whose views are different from ours.”
Part of the solution is to recognize complexity. As they write, “psychological research has uncovered complexity’s usefulness as a core antidote to the simplifying dynamics inherent in polarization. Once we view an issue as more complex than we first thought, it can open the door to viewing others more fully.”
Recognizing complexity means acknowledging that humans are not one-dimensional but, as Walt Whitman proclaimed, “contain multitudes.” This means that you cannot ask people to leave parts of themselves and their identities out of work, especially given the often-mentioned tendency to encourage people to bring their whole selves to work.
So, once people are at work, how should they behave in situations where political disputes arise? How should they meaningfully engage without having things go “off the rails,” so to speak?
SHRM offers a number of guidelines that serve both to set expectations for discussions in the workplace as well as a reminder of what is expected and the kind of culture a company is building.
- Remind people that the workplace is a place where everyone should feel safe, welcomed, respected, and included.
- Communicate to people that the company doesn’t want to limit healthy dialogue about social issues, but it does have a vested interest in reducing disruptions and maintaining a culture of respect.
- Encourage people to approach these conversations from a place of curiosity and accept that they may not find common ground. Conversation should be seen as an opportunity for better understanding, not a means to change someone’s mind.
The notion that every workplace should be a place where people feel respected and included, creating a culture of respect, and for people to approach conversations with a mindset of curiosity and seeking common ground are good and positive goals for any workplace to adopt.
Along the lines of these recommendations come some more direct and specific guidelines for people to keep in mind when engaging in any type of discussion with political overtones. These come from the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin and include the following:
- Focus on the people, not the politics. The idea is that one should build a relationship with a person before talking politics. Also, don’t take comments personally, but try to keep them objective. Part of this may also include sharing your own relevant experiences.
- Find common ground. Once you build a relationship, it’s easy to bond over less polarized issues, making any disagreements less likely to be taken more seriously or as personal. Another good suggestion is to be open to listening and understanding; asking questions to understand a different viewpoint is part of this, as is focusing on shared beliefs.
- Stick to the facts and avoid confrontation. This seems like an obvious one, but oftentimes in the heat of the moment, people forget. But it’s important to stick to information that can be verified and to support one’s opinions with evidence. Although we know that there can be legitimate disputes over the facts themselves, it should not stop us from basing any argument on the best available factual information we have.
A corresponding aspect here is to limit emotion in discussion and avoid confrontational language as much as possible. Again, in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget and lean into one’s position with whatever one’s got. However, there are obvious downsides to this, especially in a workplace.
References
Society for Human Resource Management
Deloitte
https://www.welcometothejungle.com/en/articles/navigating-political-disagreements-at-work
Yale School of Management
https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/how-to-keep-workplace-happy-in-divided-political-moment
Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin
