Growing up, my parents told me there are two topics you should avoid discussing at work: religion and politics. While I encourage open and honest discussion among colleagues, I almost always try to steer clear of topics which can cause such polarizing opinions – mainly politics.
With the recent election, however, it was almost impossible not to have some sort of conversation about politics while standing around the water cooler. A comment here and there is fine; I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t guilty of making remarks about a candidate. However, if you’re like me, you become uncomfortable when your colleagues begin discussing a candidate’s antics during last night’s debate or their stance on border patrol – whether or not you agree with their comments.
While political conversations seem to be less frequent now than during the past six months, I thought I’d share a few guidelines I like to follow when it comes to discussing politics in the workplace:
- Be respectful. This seems obvious, but I often find politics can cause tempers to flare, which can lead to people behaving in a way they wouldn’t normally. Just be sure to have respectful, courteous conversations; speak in a manner you would expect to be spoken to.
- Ask permission. Sounds simple, right? Between the news and Facebook, I tend to feel inundated by political talk. Just a quick “Do you mind chatting about __________?” shows you respect your colleagues’ time as well as their boundaries.
- Keep it light. Like I said, I’m guilty of making political comments in the office, but I always try to keep them on the lighter side. I mean, there were quite a few hilarious jokes this past election, so it was hard not to repeat a few of them! I don’t think many of your colleagues want to have a lengthy, heated discussion about renewable energy resources, but if they do, maybe you should consider going out to lunch to discuss.
- It’s okay to disagree. Another obvious one, but I am sure there will be times when you and your colleague just won’t come to an agreement about politics. That’s completely okay; just agree to disagree.
I think if we keep these guidelines in mind, then we may be able to forget the old “don’t discuss religion and politics at work” mindset and have honest, open, and respectful conversations about politics.
What are your thoughts on discussing politics in the workplace? Yeah or nay? Any guidelines you’d recommend?
The last few months have been unprecedented, so I welcome these helpful suggestions! I do feel uncomfortable when people start to talk about politics at work, even if I agree with them. In most cases, I save these conversations for social media and activities outside of work. We’ll have to go to lunch sometime!