This story is part of our October 2024 issue. To subscribe, click here.

Look at any poll right now, and it’s clear our country is almost evenly divided politically. Families, friends and the workplace are not exempt from this fracture. 

Today’s political divides aren’t like they were in decades past, or even just 10 years ago. In general, political views used to be more private, and when they were acknowledged, people still connected on a patriotic level. These days, as reflected in online discourse, people tend to think in terms of “us versus them,” where everyone who is “them” gets vilified. As the respectful exchange of ideas decreases, we’re left with a toxic “third rail,” where any reference to politics can cause major conflict and division in our workforce. 

So how can business leaders protect the workforce from tribalism this political season and instead build cohesion?

Clarify first amendment rights in the workplace

Employees often don’t think twice about blithely expressing their opinions and perspectives, regardless of how their speech impacts coworkers or the workplace culture. Why? Because they commonly believe their first amendment right to express their political beliefs supersedes any other employer policies or guidance. This is not accurate.

Employers in the private sector have the right to demand that employee speech reflects and is consistent with employer values and supports the workplace culture. Employee speech that does not meet that criteria can be the basis for discipline, including termination. This means that it is within a company’s rights to ban political speech in the workplace. While some kinds of speech are protected under anti-discrimination laws, the same laws dictate that employers are obligated to take action when an employee’s speech is discriminatory or harassing against others. In other scenarios, companies are free to take action solely based on their policies. This includes messages displayed in the workplace and on attire, which can be banned under a company’s dress code. 

However, employers cannot pick and choose a specific viewpoint to censor — it must be the same across the board. 

Write down, reiterate (and enforce) your company’s core values 

Business leaders should proactively identify core corporate values — such as civility and respect — as the behavioral norms of the organization. Reminding all employees that they are expected to exhibit civil and respectful speech is key during this political season. 

Here’s an example: A client recently had a situation where an employee made a disrespectful comment to other coworkers about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The employee’s comment was highly offensive to her coworkers and illustrated disrespectful, uncivil speech — and the employee’s speech became the basis for her termination. 

On the flip side, if any employee should even repeat what some political opponents have said about Vice President Kamala Harris — in terms of her personal characteristics like race, gender and romantic history — that would also be disrespectful, uncivil speech that would violate the core values of most organizations. 

Reminding employees about the organization’s core values and the standards for “speech” when interacting with other employees is necessary for establishing behavioral norms and maintaining cohesion during this divisive political season.

Encourage teamwork, positivity and a sense of duty

Employees have a duty to help create a positive workplace culture. If you work in an organization (as opposed to being a solo consultant), you work as part of a team. And teammates have a duty towards each other and the team to create a positive culture. 

Therefore, if someone acts in a way that denigrates or undermines the culture, or that brings disrepute to the business’s reputation, then that employee is not acting like a team member who belongs on that team. In other words, that person’s actions can be a basis for discipline, including termination. 

By reminding employees that they have a duty towards each other and to the business to create a positive workplace culture, you help set expectations that people do not have the right to say whatever they want regardless of the impact on their coworkers or their team.

It is up to business leaders to protect their workforce from the vitriol and division spreading this political season. To build cohesion, it’s important for leaders to proactively clarify that someone’s first amendment right to free speech is not the only consideration when speech occurs in the workplace; that core values establish the behavioral norms expected of all employees and, lastly, that everyone has a duty to each other and the business to help create a positive workplace culture. By proactively taking these three steps, business leaders can minimize the risk of workforce conflict and, instead, help support a positive workplace culture, even during politically divisive times.  

A lawyer and HR leader, Janine Yancey founded Emtrain to provide an online learning solution to develop and measure employees’ skills in ethics, respect and inclusion, and give employers a scalable tool to proactively manage employee behaviors. Her vision of a skills-based, data-driven talent approach on culture topics has put her at the forefront of thought leadership on sexual harassment, bias, diversity and ethics issues. Janine is a sought-after speaker and has been published and interviewed in the mainstream media including Washington Post, USA Today, ABC, MSN, CNET, Bloomberg Business, TechCrunch and Startup Grind.

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