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With less than 70 days until Election Day in the US, politics seems to be seeping into the office, whether employers like it or not.
More than one-third (35%) of US millennial and Gen Z workers surveyed by Indeed admitted that they talk about politics at work, and 44% have heard others discuss it. Despite this, 54% of respondents said they’re “uncomfortable” with it being discussed in meetings.
Chief Human Resources Officers (CHRO) have largely taken a “hands off” approach to political discussions in the workplace, according to a 2024 survey of HR leaders by the University of South Carolina. Employers, it found, are more likely to remind workers how to engage in respectful political conversations.
Still, 16% of Indeed respondents said they’ve avoided colleagues with different political beliefs.
“Political turmoil and societal divisions spill over into professional environments, affecting behavior and interactions,” Edward Beltran, CEO of leadership and development company Fierce, told SHRM. “As a result, employees bring these heightened emotions and reduced patience into the workplace, leading to more frequent uncivil interactions.”
Some 28% of workers, according to the sample surveyed, said they’d leave a job over political disagreements. As some employers try to reduce the frequency at which they take political stances, they might consider the impact perceived leanings could have on talent retention: Based on the data, 60% of workers said they’d prefer to work for a company with a CEO whose political beliefs are similar to their own.