No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, Election Day and the days that follow can be a source of anxiety or tension in the workplace.

Not only can political disagreements drain productivity and create conflict, but Stephen M. Paskoff, founder and president of workplace training company ELI and former EEOC attorney, told HR Brew that they can also fray relationships and even lead to turnover. And the risk doesn’t disappear when the polls close.

“The day after the election, it’s going to be accelerated,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of people who are elated…Some of them are going to be enraged, feeling that the election was stolen or lost or taken away from them.”

But by setting expectations, communicating policies, and connecting employees, HR departments can prepare for and prevent conflict.

Don’t ignore it. Politics is one of the issues that Americans have the most difficulty finding common ground on, according to The Dialogue Project, a research consortium that seeks to understand political sentiment and polarization.

“Think of it as a diversity and inclusion issue,” Paskoff said, emphasizing that elections can be a test of a company’s values and the extent to which they are encouraged and practiced.

“There’s some incentive in my view for employers to think carefully about making clear to everybody that maybe work isn’t the best place to have intense political or social discussions,” Randy Coffey, partner at Fisher Phillips, told HR Dive before the 2020 election.

How HR can help. Sending a memo or message to employees that clearly states company values and policies around respectful behavior is a simple step that can help set employee expectations.

When it comes to political speech, Coffey said “very little” is protected in the workplace. Keep reading here.—AK

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @AmanfromCT on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Aman for his number on Signal.

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Rebecca Camire is director of learning design at Southern New Hampshire University. She transitioned to HR after several years spent working in nutrition and finance. Camire recently spoke to HR Brew about how SNHU structures the employee training department.

How would you describe your specific job to someone who doesn’t work in HR? I manage a team who design, develop, and deploy trainings to university staff…My colleagues are separated into different products and each product has a target audience that they focus on for their trainings. For example, one product is focused on new-hire onboarding, individual contributors like career growth, and continuous learning. Another is more middle management leadership, and then another team [focuses on] how a leader and whole team are functioning and working together.

How has the training sector at your organization changed over the last couple of years? The big thing for us is trying to change the mindset of leadership from…just a boss who’s telling somebody what to do and being super directive. You’re actually trying to hold more of a coach and mentorship role in some situations, to really help them develop their career and really home in on the skills that they’re good at.

What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked? Keep reading here.

Want to be featured in an upcoming edition of Coworking? Click here to introduce yourself.

To leave work at work might be the ideal, but for those in the industrial workforce, it doesn’t seem to be the reality. Work stressors are affecting workers’ home lives and mental health, according to a new study.

StrongArm Technologies, an industrial workforce research firm, released a report last month highlighting the health and safety landscape across US construction, manufacturing, warehousing, and transportation.

“The conversation that we’re hearing so much today around flexible benefits and more comprehensive body and mind support from employers isn’t including our most critical workforce—the industrial athletes who manufacture all of our goods, keep our grocery shelves stocked, and deliver critical services,” said CEO Sean Petterson in a statement about the report.

Survey says: Not great. Nearly half (47%) of the 602 US workers surveyed in August reported being stressed at their job. Some 18% said that stress is having a negative effect on their mental health.

Those surveyed also reported that issues at work are affecting their personal lives: 32% said they were too tired to engage with family and friends, while 24% reported missing important life moments due to their hours and scheduling.

What can HR do? OSHA recommends that HR teams tailor their approach to dealing with mental health stressors to their specific workforce, cautioning that there is “no one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to alleviating workplace stress.”

The agency also recommends companies promote self care at work, as well as a culture of health and safety. HR should check in with employees often to assess how they’re doing, and expand health and employee assistance program benefits and services for mental health, according to the regulatory body.

Not sure where to start? OSHA offers posters and other resources on addressing stressors online.—AD

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @adamderose on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Adam for his number on Signal.

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Applications to work at Virgin Atlantic have increased by 100% since the UK-based airline started using gender-neutral uniforms and pronoun badges in September, according to its CEO. (the Independent)

Quote: “For 40 years, we’ve been in the sick building era…We have not designed, maintained, or operated our buildings with health as the North Star.”—Joseph G. Allen, director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program, on the need to redesign offices post-Covid to prioritize worker well-being (Fortune)

Read: Black women say they’re being promoted into prestigious roles, only to be given a Sisyphean task: Fix a broken culture with little or no support. (Fortune)