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Summer, Hot Dogs, BBQ, Cotton Candy and Politics
By VICKY BROWN
In today’s climate, there are a lot of strong opinions – about politics, social issues, economic issues, environmental issues, healthcare issues and all sorts of other issues. And people have passionate feelings about their perspectives, beliefs and viewpoints. So, how can you, as an employer, effectively manage the inevitable – passionate – discussions that may pop up in the office?
Wow – those discussions. The ones you don’t want to touch with a 20-foot pole. What are you supposed to do when you hear one of those discussions happening?
Alright – here’s the part where I remind you I am not a lawyer (don’t even play one on TV); and the opinions expressed are just that –opinions!
OK – where were we? Oh yes, what are you supposed to do.
Well, you have a few choices. One – you can let everyone say precisely what they feel, about anything they are thinking. As you might guess – that can easily turn into a free for all. And will almost certainly cause massive management problems.
Another option is to simply shut everything down. And if the next thing you’re going to say is what about free speech. Well, there is free speech and free speech in the workplace – and they are very different. You could decide to prohibit anyone from discussing anything that might be even slightly controversial. But. there are issues with this option – for one, federal law protects an employee’s right to discuss labor issues. So for example, you can’t ban an employee from saying they’re voting for one candidate or another because that candidate supports higher wages. As you can see, it’s a fine line that you could easily trip over.
“…federal law protects an employee’s right to discuss labor issues. So for example, you can’t ban an employee from saying they’re voting for one candidate or another because that candidate supports higher wages.“
Another problem – if you try an outright ban on these discussions, it will most certainly cause a chilling, big brother type of effect on your culture.
So, what are you supposed to do?
Well, as with most thorny problems – the answer isn’t all this or that – I think a nuanced approach might be the best way to go.
Let your team know that you support and appreciate that they may have strong opinions around issues impacting society as a whole. And that you understand that occasionally discussions at work may take a turn into discussions around someone’s beliefs and personal perspective.. And that’s OK. But while you get that these conversations may happen, you want to make sure all communication between team members remain polite, and everyone’s dignity is respected.
Then – you have to make sure your team understands what is and isn’t OK – give them clear rules of engagement.
You may have your own, but here are some to consider:
Let people work at work. It’s OK to want to chat about this current event or that political statement, but not when someone is trying to get work done. Save non work discussions for non work time – whether that’s during lunch, or before or after work.
Be aware of the people around you. Maybe the person you’re directly speaking to isn’t working, but the person next to them is trying to work. The best thing to do is to get away from the work area, so you aren’t disturbing anyone else.
You can make your opinion known, but you may not at any time raise your voice, use derogatory words or language be hostile, or do or say anything designed to make someone feel less than. That behavior isn’t OK when you speak to your grandparents, and it’s not OK when you’re speaking to a co-worker.
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You may not at any time, or in any way, violate the company’s anti harassment or anti discrimination policies. Any violation in this area will be immediately dealt with as outlined in the company’s handbook.
You also can’t go on and on, trying to pull someone over to your viewpoint. When someone say’s “let’s agree to disagree’, or ‘I don’t want to talk about this anymore’ or anything remotely like that – that is the end of it. You have to stop having the discussion right then and there. I don’t know about you, but few things get me more riled up than when someone – particularly someone I don’t agree with – goes on and on and won’t stop. Remember, the point isn’t to make the other person furious, it’s to express your viewpoint – and that’s all.
Don’t elaborate on your viewpoint when no one asked you. That’s called – making a speech. And no one needs, or appreciates, your speech making.
Another issue that can come up, is people being afraid that they won’t be liked, promoted or otherwise treated fairly because of their opinions. OK, so only a few states, like California, ban an employer from discriminating against someone because of their political activities – as an enlightened employer, you should extend your non-retaliation policy to include political viewpoints – and strictly hold everyone to that standard.
By the way – if you don’t have an anti-harassment, anti-discrimination or non retaliation policy you should. Give me call.
OK – so here comes the really difficult part. You, and any managers in your company, will have to stay on top of all this. You’ll have to keep your antenna really high, so you can be aware of what discussions might be happening and if they may be causing any problems. But come to think of it – as a leader, you have to do that anyway – right?
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