How to Handle Politics in the Workplace

Since today is election day, what better topic to address than handling politics in the workplace? The level of chaos and tension in the current political landscape feels like it is at an all time high. Sometimes it seems like it’s all anyone can talk about. But here’s how to handle politics being brought up at work.

Don’t ever make assumptions.

Whether it’s you or someone else steering the conversation in a political direction, never make assumptions. Don’t assume that anyone will have the same view as you. Some people are uncomfortable at the thought of voicing their political opinions, and logically so. People often clash when they have different beliefs, and you want to avoid negatively affecting someone’s opinion of you. If you have a negative view of someone because of their political beliefs, maybe that conversation should have been avoided in the first place!

Not everyone wants to listen to your political views. Avoid talking about it to make a better impression.

Never use derogatory language.

In recent elections, it’s become more popular for everyone, regardless of party, to throw around derogatory words towards people they disagree with. Never use this kind of language around others, especially when you’re at work. You never know what opinions your coworkers might have. If others don’t speak against you when you’re talking about politics, that doesn’t necessarily mean they agree with you! You might have offended someone. If we have to question whether it’s acceptable to use smiley faces in workplace emails, then the level of propriety expected of us in the workforce probably means we shouldn’t be disrespectful of others’ opinions.

Don’t use derogatory language. It doesn’t end well.

Politics usually isn’t an appropriate topic at work anyway.

While it’s important to our democracy to have civil discussions regarding politics, work usually isn’t the place for them.  Does political discussion really have anything to do with the integral functions of your job? If not, then stop trying to bring it up. Political opinions are different than work matters. You’re no longer discussing the actions of a worker, you’re discussing ideology/philosophy, which becomes much harder to address as a workplace conflict. Save yourself the trouble and don’t bring it up.

Try to change the topic, or at least deflect the conversation.

It’s perfectly acceptable for you to change the topic! You can always say you don’t like to talk about politics at work, because it just seems to make everyone tense. If they keep trying to bring it up, think of that as a warning sign. If you’re putting out signals of not wanting to talk about something, and someone keeps bringing it up, it could mean they’re not valuing what you have to say, or trying to push a subject on you without your consent. This could lead to bigger issues later.

You can make coworkers uncomfortable when you keep trying to bring up politics.

You can also say that you don’t feel informed enough about a matter to have an opinion yet. If someone tries to fault you for saying this, then they’re being disrespectful. It’s always far better to hold off on forming a political opinion until you are well-informed, because that’s what a responsible citizen should do.

Overall, the message regarding bringing up politics at work is clear: don’t. If you can’t avoid it, be as respectful as possible, and try not to shout your opinions from the rooftops. Sometimes quiet, thoughtful words carry more weight than the loud ones.