Politics at work: check your opinions at the door, or not?

How much does political diversity matter in the office?

Do political differences in your workplace drive you nuts, or do your co-workers and bosses largely share the same views? Would it be better if no one talked about politics at work, or talked about it openly even if unrelated to the job? What, then, if someone gets offended or an argument gets heated?

There’s some evidence that workplaces tend to sort into political camps. Some occupations, industries or employers are more attractive to people who hold left or right views. Employers and prospective employees get a sense of one another’s values, which may affect hiring decisions. You may not want to work for a boss whose politics are diametrically opposed to yours – unless perhaps there’s a higher wage. On the other hand, employees who fit into the culture of the workplace, including its prevailing political norms, may more easily achieve advancement.

The opinions of employees may be influenced, to an extent, by the dominant values of the workplace or industry they’re in. But, then again, “left/right-wing bias” in a workplace may be a reason for quitting.

This may not be a matter of overt and illegal discrimination. (“Political opinion”, or even the lack thereof, is one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Human Rights Act.) In New Zealand, people tend not to wear a party affiliation, if they have one, on their sleeves. There may just be a gradual and spontaneous sorting process. One study in Brazil (a highly diverse society) found that “shared partisan affiliation is a stronger driver of assortative matching between firms and workers than shared gender or race”.

Workplaces could become “echo chambers” if this sorting goes too far. There’s some evidence that firms that are highly partisan don’t do as well. Might it be the case that diversity of political opinion at work is as important as diversity in other demographic factors? Everyone agreeing politically may be good for harmony, but an obstacle to market intelligence, service quality and well-informed decision-making.

And how should employers handle political disagreements between workers? What if the war in Gaza comes up and an employee feels offended or silenced? Should it be OK for employees to share their preferences for political parties and policies openly?

It partly depends on the nature of the job. People can’t stop talking about politics in a newsroom or a university. It may be different if your organisational mission is to flip the best burgers. In the public service, employees are required to be “apolitical” and to implement the policies of the government of the day, regardless of their personal opinions – although they still have their privately held opinions.

I’d venture to generalise that New Zealanders are a self-inhibiting lot and hence comparatively reticent about their politics. There’s likely to be discomfort about differences of political values, and signs of disapproval may be covert “silent treatment” or rolling of eyeballs. Employees whose politics don’t fit may feel ostracised and hence be readier to resign. The employer may lose valuable talent as a result.

As you might expect, I’m of the school of thought that says, “Let’s talk about it”. There are ways of talking about sensitive political issues that respect people’s differences, that let them agree to disagree, and that encourage everyone to make up their own minds about controversial topics. That’s all part of a democratic culture.

Sometimes the mere use of a politically loaded word can trigger a strong reaction. There’s no merit in causing offence, but people may feel they have to be extra-careful about what they say around the office.

This is more than just a choice between saying out loud what we think or shutting up. It pays to listen carefully, without judgement, and to ask after the genuine reasons or values behind an idea that, at first, I didn’t like the sound of.

It’s possible to talk about our political differences without spoiling our day. It may even broaden our minds and help us to get along better. But it takes some effort.

This image is AI-generated by Gencraft (just don’t look too closely at the hands!)