lection years can create more challenges in the workplace than usual. During times of intense political polarization on a national scale, we often see increased incivility and differences amongst coworkers in the workplace.

Leaders set the tone for how teammates will interact with each other, including what communication is acceptable or not in the workplace, how we handle conflict as a team, and understanding workplace boundaries. However, many leaders often feel underprepared to manage escalated disagreements between teammates of differing political views.

Here are a few guiding principles and everyday tactics that leaders can use to manage respectful workplace cultures during times of political tension.

1. Don’t ban all conversations about political beliefs.

It may be tempting for a leader to say that political topics are not allowed in the workplace, but this is not realistic. Recent studies show that over 80% of employees have discussed politics in the workplace. The ability to be part of a team as our authentic selves is crucial to feeling engaged at work. It’s also important to remember that employees have their First Amendment right to speech, even at work. Respectful conversations about political beliefs have a place at work, provided they maintain certain boundaries and align with our PROMISE Behavior Standards.

"It’s important to remember that employees have their First Amendment right to speech, even at work."

2. Clarify how we should talk to each other at work.

Leaders should set expectations for staff about how to foster understanding and respect on the team, even in those occasions when we might disagree. This includes:

• Political beliefs should not be expressed in patient-focused areas. If patients overhear or see political messages, that can negatively impact their relationship with caregivers and their care in general. 
• Expressing support for a patient population is not the same as a political belief. It is acceptable to show support for a patient community in a patient-focused area through words or images, in alignment with University policy.
• Conversations should be a two-way street. No one should ever force a personal opinion or thought on a coworker who doesn’t want to be in the conversation.
• Speak for your own experiences by using “I” statements.
• Listen to understand each other, not to attack or debate.
• Keep it respectful. Name calling, personal attacks, stereotyping, or gossiping about coworkers is never ok in the workplace.
   

3. Think about the impact of your words before sharing your beliefs.  

We need to be mindful of how we impact the people around us, even if our impact is different than our intent. Here are some questions that leaders can ask staff when coaching them to think about their impact in the workplace:

• Could this be demeaning or hostile to a coworker? To a patient?
• Is this impacting our ability to get work done?
• What feedback has the employee received from teammates about how their actions have negatively impacted others, even if that was a different outcome than their intent?
• What actions could the employee take to act on feedback about their impact?
   

4. Know when to move on from the conversation.

Coworkers should be able to respectfully disagree with each other’s worldviews. However, if there is a belief you feel so strongly about that you don’t want to hear disagreeing viewpoints, then work is not the appropriate place to discuss this topic. Similarly, if learning more about the beliefs of a colleague who thinks differently than yourself will negatively impact your professional relationship with them, agree to disagree and move on from the conversation. We don’t have to be best friends with our coworkers. We do need to be respectful and collegial with each other.

5. Remember that University of Utah employees cannot use their affiliation with the organization to endorse political candidates/beliefs.

Employees cannot use the university name, brand, or their own affiliation with the university when speaking on matters of public concern, contacting legislators, and/or endorsing political candidates. Employees must do these types of activities on their own time and with their own resources. Be mindful of how you affiliate yourself with the university (or University of Utah, or U of U) when attending political events or sharing opinions online. This includes:

• Do not wear your work badge or uniform to political events: protests, rallies, candidate fundraisers, etc.
• Do not use your UMail address or University of Utah letterhead to communicate with legislators, political candidates or political organizations, to advocate for or against a ballot proposition, initiative or candidate, or to solicit campaign contributions.
• When sharing opinions online, be aware of how your online presence connects you to the University (of Utah or U of U) (profile picture, bio, and so on).
• Don’t reference your affiliation with the University of Utah when publicly endorsing a candidate or sharing a political belief.
   

6. Respond to disrespect and incivility right away.

There are some types of communication that should never be accepted in the workplace, including yelling, threats of violence, name-calling, attacking personal character, stereotyping based on a person’s identity, isolating a person due to their beliefs, and other disrespectful or discriminatory actions. If a leader becomes aware of this type of behavior, they must respond immediately to report and stop these behaviors from occurring. Review the Harmful Incident Response tool for more details.

The importance of learning to manage political discourse

Political differences are not going anywhere and they will impact our workplaces. Rather than treat the workplace as an apolitical environment, leaders should be prepared to respond when the outside-of-work climate impacts their teams.

Staff look to leaders to set expectations for boundaries, including what is appropriate or inappropriate when it comes to talking about politics at work. As a leader, be proactive. Provide training to staff on skills for respectful communication (contact Clare Lemke Organizational Development for more information). Have courageous conversations when boundaries are crossed and clarify what behaviors need to change or which should continue. We each have our part to play in fostering respectful workplaces during times of heightened political disagreement.

Give it a try it now:

If you were the leader in these areas, what would you do?