by

Bill Cottringer

“Be strong, kind, bold, humble and proud, but don’t be rude, weak, bullying, timid or arrogant.” ~Anonymous.

    Political discussions at work have become a very hot HR issue today, given what all the people think is at stake in the coming election—the life-changing hopes and fears—which may end up being our most important defining moment in our experiment with democracy. Emotions are boiling with hopes and fears on both sides of an ever-widening divide in our country. And there is a confounding driver of the divide. People are divided on the way they process information, some through knowledge and reason and others through feelings and intuition. This breaks down any sense of unity even further beyond any known repair.

          Ironically, the constitutional right of free speech applies to government employees but not to private employer’s workplaces. Most reasonable-minded employers in the private sector know they can legally restrict free speech at the workplace to a certain degree, but they also know that they really can’t control it, but rather just manage it.  These sensible employers manage the political discussions so as to not let them cross the line into being unwanted, offensive, unprofessional, vulgar or downright illegal.  

    Two other justifications of the private employer’s right to limit political discussion at the workplace include: (a) employees are being paid to work productively and extended non-work related personal discussions are not productive, and (b)  employers have a practical right to “manage” these discussions during work time, knowing that fairness exists because the employees normally  have nearly double the work time, when off duty to dress, appear, talk and be as free as they like. That is a fair deal by any standards.

    There is no doubt that this present climate is a real test for expert communicating, and things are likely to only get worse with election results that will expand the divide even further—for half the people getting satisfaction and having renewed hopes for a better future vs. the other half getting disappointed or infuriated with the election outcome, and both desperately needing a catharsis for their overflowing emotions and thinking.

     This all sets the stage for everyone to learn how to effectively convey all the right supportive qualities which facilitate good communication, such as freedom, acceptance, provisionalism, empathy, spontaneity and equality, while avoiding the wrong defensive qualities, which shut down communication, like implications of control, judgment, certainty, insensitivity, strategy and superiority. Our normal emotionality, when our backs against the wall, favors the defensive mode and only when we become our best selves with an attitude of authentic brotherly love, can we overcome that bad habit. Here is a sample communication of how to have such a difficult conversation in the private sector:

UREGENT MESSAGE TO ALL OUR EMPLOYEES

     During these trying times—with the widespread pandemic dangers, coming presidential election, civil unrest from the BLM/ALM divide, and police issues in Seattle, Portland, Chicago and other US cities—it is virtually impossible not to have strong political and religious and other protected views. But, and this is a VERY BIG BUT, the workplace is not the right venue for any type of political, religious or sexual orientation discussions/debates. We are all being paid to deliver quality products and services to our customers and time spent doing this during work time is wasted. Any views on these topics are normally too emotional and personal and not prone to result in any positive or productive outcomes.

     Please understand that our company has a duty to guard against unwanted, unwelcome discussions at the workplace about politics, religion and sexual orientation, which could be considered offensive or illegal under the Federal and State discrimination laws.

    We cannot control what people think or how they believe in what is right or wrong about all of today’s hot issues, but we can each manage what your mouth’s say and hands do. We all have the freedom to express ourselves at home and on a variety of social media forums, so long as it doesn’t violate work-related confidentiality or an employer’s rightful business interests. The goal for all citizens of our country is to exercise our freedoms responsibly without unduly offending others in the process.

   In the meantime, stay safe and silent on these hot topics at the workplace if there is potential danger in offending others in either an unprofessional or illegal manner. In other words, think before you talk. Violators of this directive can be disciplined, so it is in everyone’s interest to work together and cooperate in continuing to provide our valuable and important service to customers. Thank you all for taking this to heart and continuing to work as a team.

“They either want to kill you, kiss you or be like you.” ~Anonymous.