How to Manage Political Statements in the Workplace

I’ll never forget the day Chase’s downtown offices reopened in New York after 9/11. There was a welcome package on every desk. It was thoughtful and intentional — a clear acknowledgement of the trauma we experienced. That’s the power of handling political or traumatic events proactively as a company and leadership team. This Fall, we’re going to the polls. Polarization is already heating up. Are you ready to address any internal impacts? Just like you plan for financial downturns or natural disasters, the potential impact of political polarization on your organization demands a proactive approach. Lots of different things could happen. You could have employees having a heated debate in the kitchen. You could have a protest blocking entrance to your office. You could have animosity on Slack and digital “back-stabbing” in remote work environments. Are you ready to handle these internal and external scenarios? To navigate the complexities of political events, we suggest organizations adopt or add these 3 steps to an Incident Response Plan to avoid distractions to productivity, rifts in your culture or even throngs of departures: 1) Preparation Establish a clear policy and incident response team with defined responsibilities. For example, you may need to create or update a policy to define what constitutes political expression and the boundaries around it for your workplace, and review it with legal counsel. For the incident response team: appoint a group to decide how to monitor and handle ad-hoc events, like riots or political incidents. 2) Communication Words matter. Who’s going to speak when something happens? The CEO? VP People? What tone do we want to use? To avoid (dangerous) gut responses to surprise events, develop specific language for various scenarios and create a comprehensive communication plan. This ensures that all team members are aware of their roles and how to communicate effectively regarding an incident. 3) Testing Regularly pressure test your plan and update it based on lessons learned. This iterative process ensures your plan remains relevant and effective. These steps, combined with regular reviews and updates, form the backbone of an effective Incident Response Plan, enabling organizations to respond swiftly and efficiently to any political event that may impact their operations. Is preparing for political polarization on your mind? Are you thinking about election season and its potential impact on your team and organization?

How do you help your team navigate their professional responsibilities while processing deeply concerning (read: abjectly terrifying) political developments? I wish I didn’t have so much experience at this, and I wish I’d had more tools and resources five years ago, because I really failed at this a lot. Now, we have some practices at Seed&Spark and Film Forward that make space for the rollercoaster of emotions and the stark new political realities that in many cases almost immediately impact our team members in some way. 1. First, acknowledge reality. We don't leave our humanity at the door when we come to work. When people are worried about their safety or the safety of their loved ones, pretending everything is "business as usual" only increases anxiety and erodes trust. 2. As a remote team, we acknowledge that we also may be feeling things very differently based on where we are. We may have to make space for certain team members who are, for example, living in the middle of a climate disaster one week and others who live near an active shooting the next week. This is the world we live in. So we do a “red yellow green” check in at the top of each meeting - everyone can state how they are showing up. And we can adapt how we are resourcing certain priorities (or just how much moral and professional support we are providing our colleagues) using that information. It builds trust and support in a team that rarely sees each other in person. 3. Make space (as in: PAID TIME OFF) for mental health needs and civic action. I put these in the same bucket because often civic action is a mental health support action as well: it keeps people connected to community and purpose. Is there really a meeting that is more important than people going out to fight for a better future? 4. Don’t shut down conversations about how hard this is. It’s perfectly reasonable to feel like showing up to work in most jobs is playing violins on the titanic. If people can’t feel validated for their fears they will not be able to locate their purpose in your workplace. 5. Don’t bury your head in the sand about business realities or infantilize your team. This is the time to triple-down on transparency and give everyone the context they need to make grown up decisions. The only way out is through, together. #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #InclusiveWorkplace #CorporateResponsibility

I want to share something with you. It is something I have talked about every 4 years since 2004. As we get closer to the election, you are gonna feel tensions rising at work. There was a time when we didn’t talk politics at work, but nowadays, it affects so many of us that it cannot be ignored. Your employees are looking to you to set the tone on how we should be dealing with these topics. So while I am inviting you to #MyUncertaintyEra, I want to share lessons and learnings I’ve found. Here are some tips to make sure you’re not just sweeping it under the rug and hoping it works out. Pre-Election: Set the Stage Before election drama peaks, set clear guidelines for political behavior. Encourage respectful dialogue while ensuring debates don’t disrupt the workplace. Remember to give guidance around how maintain a culture of respect. During the Election: Monitor and Support Stay vigilant. As the election unfolds, watch for signs of tension. Keep communication channels open to address issues before they escalate. Promoting constructive engagement. You would think ot goes without saying but remind folks of their DEIB training; discourage stereotyping at all costs. Post-Election: Foster Unity Once the votes are counted, offer counseling or employee assistance programs to help manage stress and maintain well-being. Emphasize unity in the workplace. HBR experts suggest that this is the time to reinforce your company’s values and work towards shared goals, regardless of political differences. Jimmy F. Robinson, Jr. from Ogletree Deakins reminds us, “Employers have a crucial role in ensuring workplace safety and preventing hostile environments in the aftermath of a presidential election.” Your team is looking to you to build a culture of resilience, of inclusion and of safety to b yourselves. As I said earlier in the week HR isn’t just administrative—we’re architects of a thriving workplace, even in uncertain times. We have been begging for aseat at the table. Now that we have one (I hope) remember the power we hold as HR leaders. We’re not just reacting; we’re building. And that’s worth taking seriously. If this resonates with you, give it a like, comment, and share it with your network. Let’s keep this conversation going as we navigate these times together. #DEIB #WorkplaceTensions #Election2024 #HRLeadership #MyUncertaintyEra #HarvardBusinessReview

I've struggled about how to go about writing this post. SHRM has been talking a lot about #civility in the workplace recently, and that is something I have incorporated into my presentations for years. If you've ever heard my "7 C's of HR" presentation, one of the "Cs" is civility. I am glad this topic has made it into the larger vernacular in the HR world. To be civil is to show regard for others by being polite. The challenge, I believe, that is upcoming not only at work but societally too, is whether we can be polite to each other amid such volatile and divisive political chatter. Considering that exploring this on a societal level would take much longer than what I can write in this post, let's focus on what we in HR and management can do at work to preempt any strife. After all, we have learned from history, right? 💡 Remind employees of rules prohibiting wearing apparel with political statements. Don't have that policy? Now might be the time to consider it. 💡 Consider de-escalation training for managers. Don't train on that? Now might be the time to consider it. 💡 Review your state's laws for allowing employees time off to vote on election day. 💡 Discuss an organizational definition of what it means to be civil to one another--regarding politics, or not. Involve employees in these discussions. 💡 Be proactive. So often in HR we are reactive based on things that have already gone wrong. Perhaps the play here is to deal with the problem well before it arises. Remember that employees, no matter if they are non-political or political activists, are entering the workplace carrying stress of what is all around us. Also remember that it is not just election season in the United States. In the global environment, there are more than 64 elections worldwide.