The U.S. presidential election is dividing workers across the country.
A recent Gallup survey found that 80% of adults believe Americans are greatly divided on the most important values—the highest level ever recorded.
This divide in our country, shows up in our communities, on our social media feeds, and at our workplaces.
When I was first starting out my career in corporate America, I was taught that you didn’t talk about “religion, sex, or politics” at work. My father was the first person I remember having a job at a big company. He would have his tea and toast in the morning, while reading the local newspaper, and then drive to his office. He came back around 6 p.m. from work and yelled at my brother and I to give him the television remote, so he could watch the national news.
During this time when social media didn’t exist, there appeared to be a clear line where work ended and life outside of work began. Some leaders are still living in that old workplace paradigm. They haven’t grasped that the world of work has significantly changed. And whether they like it or not, politics will find their way into our workplaces.
According to a 2023 Glassdoor survey, political conversations are more common than you might think. About 61% of U.S employees have discussed politics with colleagues over the last year. Men (67%) are more likely than women (54%) to engage in political discussions with colleagues. And women (62%), among those ages 18 to 44, are more likely to engage in political discussions vs women ages 35 and older. And yet, younger employees part of Generation Z are less likely to be comfortable with politically diverse workplaces.
With the presidential election quickly approaching, now is the time to make sure organizations are prepared for what will likely be another tumultuous election. Many leaders are still operating in an old paradigm when it comes to our organizations, believing that politics have no place at work. Here is my advice for how to prepare your employees for the upcoming presidential election:
Refresh your employee social media policy
It’s time to refresh and re-socialize your employee social media policy with your organization. And if you don’t have a policy, now’s the time to craft one. Some policies encourage employees to be a positive ambassador of their companies, sharing important moments like announcing the launch of a new product into the marketplace. Most policies will remind employees to ensure that what you are posting is public company information and that nothing you plan to share is confidential. And this is a key moment to reiterate that the company won’t tolerate sharing or supporting hate speech online.
When it comes to social media, I coach colleagues to follow a rule I have followed for most of my career: I don’t connect with my boss or my team on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok while we are working together. I may choose to connect with them when we no longer work together. Everyone is entitled to their own views and opinions, and particularly the right to express who they want to support in the presidential election. Some will choose to share who they are voting for on social media. I would prefer not to engage with my boss or my team on debates on the upcoming presidential election at work.
Remind employees that we all remain ambassadors of our company online and offline outside of work. They should, of course, refrain from hate speech or promoting political violence.
No fundraising for presidential candidates at work
Another important policy to remind employees of is whether or not you allow fundraising or solicitation of any kind at work and on work devices.
We all have causes that are important to us. Many of us are passionate and committed to issues that impact us as individuals, our family, friends, and our broader communities.
In fact, we may be particularly passionate about a certain candidate becoming President. But no one wants to feel pressured to support candidates or causes at work. Particularly if it’s your boss inviting you to attend a political fundraiser or a colleague asking you to attend a rally for a candidate.
I believe we should encourage employees to devote their personal time to making the changes they wish to see in our greater world—instead of asking colleagues to participate in fundraising efforts for candidates. In fact, many companies offer employees days off to volunteer outside of work to devote personal time to causes important to them. Leaders should also remind people that voting is one of the biggest ways they can enact change. And importantly, leaders should give employees time off to vote.
If as a company you donate to political action committees (PACs), be prepared to field questions from employees. PACs are vehicles to collect campaign contributions for political candidates. Some organizations will encourage their employees to donate to PACs, some of which support candidates for local, state, and federal office.
Some company’s use PACs to enhance their voice on important issues impacting their business—also known as “lobbying”.
DoorDash is an example of a company who started its own PAC, to expand its presence and influence in Washington. “We’re looking forward to supporting those who share our values and mission of growing and empowering local economies,” said Campbell Millum, a spokesperson for DoorDash. The company has also hired a prominent lobbyist and is focused on pushing back on how gig workers are defined by the government.
If your organization pursues the path of creating a PAC, understand that you can, and should, be held accountable for the lobbying that you fund.
Remember to honor and respect our differences and views
Ultimately, we should be careful when painting colleagues as “good people” or “bad people” based on who they think should become the next President of the United States. A manager can have different political views than their employee, but still be supportive of their career.
If you do enter discussions about the U.S. presidential election at work, remember that we all have different life experiences, values, and beliefs. If you choose to enter these conversations at work, refrain from labeling people in your mind. And remember, there’s “no winning” in a productive conversation.
As Jahmaal Marshall, Founder and CEO of Listen Then Speak, advises that when entering potentially emotionally charged conversations, people should “begin with the end in mind.” He offers that we start difficult conversations at work with kindness and empathy. And that we understand the objectives: to learn about lived experiences that inform their beliefs, to understand a view point that’s different from your own, and commit to disagreeing with kindness and respect. Marshall advises that we swiftly end conversations that become heated arguments. “Remove yourself when you know they will no longer be productive and could damage your work relationships,” he says.
There is no longer a line that exists where work ends and life outside of work begins. Political conversations happen in our workplaces. Many of our coworkers will engage in conversations when it comes to this year’s U.S. presidential election. Now is the time to proactively prepare your organization because the next few weeks will undoubtably be stressful for many of us.