Political talk heating up at work? You have options

In case you haven't noticed, it's an election year. And it's not just candidates sounding off on the campaign trail. Passionate—even angry—political talk also can spill into the workplace, leaving hurt feelings and lost productivity in its wake. You may feel wedged between the proverbial rock and a hard place as you try to keep the peace while striving to be respectful of employees who feel compelled to share their views. While no perfect strategy exists, you aren't helpless. Here are some ideas.

Allow discussion, but put up guardrails

Old-school conventional wisdom says people shouldn't talk politics at work. But times have changed in recent years, making a strict "keep your politics to yourself" policy unworkable in many workplaces. In fact, recent surveys show that many consider colleagues' political views as a component of workplace diversity, but research also shows that political conversations at work often cause conflict.

After the release of the Politics at Work survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in November 2019, SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., urged employers to address political differences among employees by focusing on civility.

The survey's results, taken along with SHRM's 2019 culture report, shows the potential for disengagement and toxic work environments because of an increase in political conflicts. The research found that 42% of the U.S. employees surveyed said they had personally experienced political disagreements at work, and 56% said the discussion of political issues has become more common in the past four years.