| Managing Workplace Civility During Trying Times |
Managing Workplace Civility During Trying Times Political and social tensions in the workplace can decrease civility, lower morale, distract from productivity, and even escalate to complaints of harassment. By setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of respect, you can help your team navigate these charged times. The Legal Implications Employees regularly cite the freedom of speech in the First Amendment as a right to say what they want at work, but that’s a misconception. While employees may freely express their opinions outside of work, political discussions in the workplace must align with the need for a professional environment. Importantly, the First Amendment protects against restrictions imposed by the government, not private employers. As such, private companies may restrict speech on their property, provided the restrictions do not infringe on an employee’s rights to engage in protected concerted activities (such as advocating for higher wages). Additionally, employers may prohibit political discussions that could violate anti-discrimination or anti-harassment laws, promote hostility or violence, breach company policies (such as code-of-conduct rules), or infringe on the rights of others. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) oversees the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protects the rights of employees to engage in concerted activity or discuss the terms and conditions of their employment. A common misunderstanding is that the NLRA only applies to labor organizing. That is not true. It applies to every workplace and every worker that is not a supervisor or manager. It’s also important to know the applicable laws in relevant states regarding voting, acting against people for their political views, and lawful off-duty conduct. Address Performance, Not Politics Your employees are paid to do a job, satisfy customer needs, and meet performance targets. If an individual’s political beliefs and behavior are interfering with their work output, you need to deal with it as a performance issue. Even when an individual is performing well, if their interactions with others are hurting morale and reducing work output, they are causing a performance problem that you need to address. Remind employees that, no matter their political views, they all contribute to the same team objectives. Emphasize the importance of working together to achieve these goals, whether it’s completing a project on time, improving performance metrics, or delivering high-quality services to clients. This shifts attention away from divisive topics and fosters a sense of unity and purpose. When political discussions become distracting, address the resulting performance issues rather than the political conversations themselves. Framing the issue in terms of its impact on productivity keeps the matter objective and relevant to workplace expectations. For example, instead of saying, “No more talking politics at work,” you might say, “The goal is to deliver this project on time, and these discussions are affecting productivity. Let’s stay on topic.” Red Flag Tips: How to Handle Political & Social Tension at Work Apply the rules consistently. If you prevent the expression of views from one side of the political spectrum, apply the same restraint to the expression of views from different sides. Set an example. Model respect and civility. Avoid talking politics with your subordinates. As a manager, you are in a position of power. Your opinions might be interpreted as pressure to agree or as the position favored by your employer. When appropriate and helpful, show how to have a conversation with open-minded listening, self-reflection, and a desire to understand another person’s point of view. Don’t make jokes about controversial topics. Monitor political discussions, and step in before emotions overheat. Calm, thoughtful, and mutually respectful discussions on any topic aren’t generally a problem at work, as long as they don’t cut into productive work time. Angry, emotional, and disrespectful discussions and one-sided diatribes are a problem. They can cause lasting damage to work relationships and team productivity. Step in before discussions escalate to this level of hostility. Watch for talk or behavior that crosses the line into harassment or bullying. This can include an employee forcing a political discussion on a coworker who would prefer not to engage. It might be an employee continuing a conversation beyond the point where it’s welcomed. It certainly includes hostile and demeaning comments. Intervene with firm warnings or disciplinary action as needed. Follow up quickly on complaints of harassment or bullying from your employees. Have one-on-one conversations with your employees. Show that you care about them as individuals. Ask them about their reactions to political differences on the team. Coach them on how to make difficult conversations more productive and how to discourage unwanted conversations. Respond promptly to any complaints of intimidation, bullying, or harassment. For additional information, please call our office at (714) 799-1115 |
