Concerned about discussions of opposing political views at work?

by Jun 20, 2024

Election season is here, bringing with it a flood of discussions, debates, and distractions. Add global tensions dominating the news, and it’s easy to see why employees might struggle to stay focused… especially if they have opposing views from their colleagues… and are discussing those opposing views at work. 

Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Politics and global events spark polarizing views. They just do. And when those views are openly discussed at work, they can quickly escalate into hurt feelings or conflict. Left unchecked, they can evolve into a longer lasting environment of unhappiness, poor morale, and lack of loyalty to the team or organization.

 

Opposing political views at work

So, recognize and address these tensions proactively.

Our upcoming free webinar on Managing Incivility and Conflict in Political Discussions at Work will offer tools to do just that. 

Attend, and take your team from:

  • Tense and uncivil conflict to respectful conversations and understanding
  • Convincing those with opposing views they’re wrong to truly hearing each other out
  • Venting around people who don’t share their views to maintaining respect for people who don’t share their views

And take your managers from:

  • Unsure of how to step in or keep the peace to confidently setting expectations
  • Avoiding bad actors not following the ground rules to coaching them to understand the impact of their behavior on others.

Election seasons and global tensions – and the high emotions that come along with those events – are inevitable, but their damaging impact on your workplace doesn’t have to be.

By taking proactive steps and attending our webinar, you can ensure your team remains engaged, focused, and resilient, no matter what external challenges arise.

Join us on June 26th at 10am PST and receive exclusive resources and 1 SHRM credit! Your workforce will thank you.

Be sure to mark your calendar and attend in person so you can gain real time information and get your questions answered.

Let’s do this.

When it comes to DEI, language matters…and it’s constantly evolving. Are you using the right terminology in your organization? Download our DEI Terminology Cheat Sheet and see how you stack up.

 

Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author, and blogger and has 60+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning.  Her fourth book, Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley), is available in all major bookstores and where audiobooks are sold.

 

3 Ways Gatekeepers Sabotage Real Workplace Change

Recently an employer’s attorney contacted us looking for workplace training for her client. She described what she called "longstanding" workplace issues and stated she was looking for a training program to resolve them. As I explained that training likely isn’t the...

AI Can Now Detect Workplace Bullying and I’m Mad as Hell About It

The Latest Workplace Misconduct Technology Misses the Point Bloomberg reports a new generation of AI tools designed to detect misconduct, bullying, harassment, belittlement, and other problematic workplace behaviors. The promise sounds compelling: use artificial...

7 Corporate Lies & The Real Truths (my 5 min DisruptHR talk)

  Interested in talking more about this topic? Head over to the LinkedIn version and drop a comment or share it with your network. You’ve been at the receiving end of a steady diet of advice that sounds smart, looks great on conference slides, and earns plenty of...

Pride Month: Performative Vs. Actual Activities

Happy Pride Month! This month, you'll see rainbow logos, employee resource group events, and social media campaigns celebrating LGBTQ+ employees and communities. But Pride Month wasn't created as a marketing campaign or even as a celebration. It began as a protest....

5 Things Ryan Breslow (& Most Executives) Gets Wrong About HR

“Fire your entire HR department.” Wait… what?  That was essentially the message Ryan Breslow, CEO of Bolt, delivered recently when he announced he had eliminated the company’s entire HR team because they were allegedly “creating problems out of thin air.” According to...

“What to Say May”: Turn Good Intentions into Everyday Courage

May has always been a month of transition. Spring in full bloom, fresh energy, and just enough optimism to believe people might actually follow through on their good intentions. So this year, we’re channeling that energy into something practical. We’re calling it...

3 Reasons Gen Z Won’t Take B.S. From Their Employers

Gen Z is quickly becoming one of the most influential voices in the workplace and they’re not staying quiet.  In fact, research shows that Gen Z employees are highly values-driven. Nearly 9 in 10 say purpose is critical to their job satisfaction and they increasingly...

3 Ways to Handle Employee Departures Without Damaging Your Culture

Employee departures are more common and more impactful than many leaders realize. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently reports millions of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs each month, with quit rates hovering around 2–3% in recent years....

“Job Hugging” & 4 Ways to Respond

Nearly 48% of employees say they are staying in their jobs longer than they otherwise would for stability and security, and about 75% expect to remain in their roles for the next few years. At the same time, voluntary quit rates have dropped to around 2%, one of the...

Workplace Red Flag: “We’re Like a Family!”

Have you ever worked in, or heard someone mention, a workplace that prides itself on being like a family, or family-oriented? “We treat each other like family here,” they say.  People mean it as a signal of care, loyalty, and belonging. But calling your workplace a...
// Replace 'your-field-key' with your actual field key var fieldKey = 'what_is_the_average_salary_of_those_employees_1699986579498'; // Replace 'currency-symbol' with your desired currency symbol var currencySymbol = '$'; // Add the currency symbol $('#field_' + fieldKey).find('.nf-field-124').find('input[type="number"]').before('' + currencySymbol + ''); });