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Clinton, Trump Creating Workplace Tension

As Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump stoke Americans’ passion, anger and frustration to a whole new level, employers are contending with those tensions seeping into in the workplace.

The office is not immune to the political rhetoric and rancor that becomes more pronounced as Election Day nears, according to recent surveys by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and CareerBuilder. And, most employers and human resource departments are likely to lack any written plan on what behavior is and isn't acceptable.

SHRM found this election is “brining greater political volatility to the workplace” with more than 25% of respondents “reporting tension, hostility or arguments among co-workers because of political affiliation” and workers being more vocal about how they feel.

The survey of 457 U.S. HR professionals in May also found that “while a majority of HR professionals (72%) said their organizations discourage political activities in the workplace, only 24% of organizations have a written policy and 8% have an unwritten policy about political activities in the workplace.”

 The good news is that 70% of respondents said they did not see a notable difference in political tensions at the workplace from past elections. But Evren Esen, SHRM’s survey program director, warns that HR professionals can’t afford to be complacent.

“Even a minor increase in political volatility can create major headaches in the workplace if not managed well,” Esen said. With about three months “until Election Day, HR professionals must be tuned in for changes in the culture of their organizations and recognize that tension may increase in the coming months, making it necessary to stress collaboration despite different political perspectives.”

One survey respondent noted that “there is so much potential volatility that employees are not discussing the election at all.” Another respondent said that “people seem less willing to talk about who they support for fear of backlash, as the candidates are fairly polarizing figures.”

Edward Yost, HR business partner/employee relations at SHRM, said it is wise for employees to avoid heated political discussions that can disrupt relationships essential to a functioning workplace. Still, HR professionals and employers need to understand how far they can go in reining in what their employees discuss.

“Generally speaking, employers cannot have policies that prohibit all political discussions, as this is considered protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Board,” Yost said. “But it is important for employers to monitor such discussions to ensure that they do not lead to bullying or threatening behaviors between employees or become a significant drag on productivity.”

The CareerBuilder survey found that 30% of employers and 17% of employees have argued with a co-worker about a candidate, mostly about Trump. That survey polled more than 3,244 workers and 1,902 mangers in private sector industries from May 11 to June 7.

Management often encourages political correctness in the workplace to help head off problems, according to survey respondents. But that approach creates its own set of frustrations. Fifty percent of workers and 59% of employers “believe the workplace has become too politically correct in America, and a third of employees (33%) are afraid to voice certain opinions because they feel they may not be considered politically correct,” CareerBuilder found.

HR professionals should not personally feel that they need to restrict themselves from political discussions with employees, People HRO reports. HR professionals need to listen and gauge where employees are coming from to avoid unintentionally offending someone. 

“So before you open a can of worms, make sure that you have a solid, understanding relationship with the other person,” the story notes. “Talking politics can lead to a wonderful and insightful conversation, even if there is some disagreement. But only attempt this with employees or other workplace leaders that you have a strong foundation with and that you know will be open to a discussion.”

Employers do have some latitude in what they are allowed to restrict when it comes to political activities during work hours, says Susan Schoenfeld, a senior legal editor at Business and Legal Resources, according to NPR.  “Employees at private companies do not have a constitutional right to free speech of expression at work,” she said. This means employers can restrict employees from donning campaign garb and putting up posters.

But, employers still need to stay on top of what is going on and what is being said. “It only takes one person to have that inflammatory discussion to alienate someone or cause a hostile work environment or potential harassment claim,” Schoenfeld said.

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