In this What’s Up in the Workplace, Lacey Partipilo and Brandon Laws discuss how political views from the mid-term election are impacting the workplace and what it means for employers.
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Brandon Laws: Lacey Partipilo, good to have you back.
Lacey Partipilo: Happy to be here.
Brandon Laws: So you’re about to go on leave here pretty soon.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah, about two, three weeks to go.
Brandon Laws: So this is probably the last What’s Up in the Workplace for a couple of months.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah, for about 12 weeks. I will be back in February.
Brandon Laws: Oh, OK. So for listeners, just go back and listen to Lacey’s episodes. You’re going to miss her for the next three months or so.
Lacey Partipilo: I know. So you can reminisce while I’m gone. But I’ll be back and we will get caught up.
Brandon Laws: OK. So for today’s episode of What’s Up in the Workplace, I think this is our seventh episode, we’re going to talk about something very relevant and timely right now – politics in the workplace.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah.
Brandon Laws: Midterm elections are happening right now. Clients of yours, are they saying much? I mean I’m hearing stuff in the news about – you know, this is bleeding over into the workplace again like it was back in the presidential election. What are you hearing?
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah. What I’m hearing from the employees at some of the clients that I work with is just that it’s – these conversations are occurring and some people are OK with it and there are other folks who – there’s a rub. So I think it’s timely for us to talk about this and what employers should be doing about it.
Brandon Laws: There’s probably a lot they can do about it. The problem is there are all these little micro conversations that people are having, whether it’s an employee and a manager or they see people posting on social media about their political beliefs and their stances. People get really – there’s like this weird reaction that a lot of people have. If they’re on the opposite ends of the spectrum …
Lacey Partipilo: Right.
Brandon Laws: I remember – I really tried to tune out of social media for the longest time because of how bad it got. I see it starting to pop up again. Is this like the social media aspect of this, the political stuff, is it becoming an issue in the workplace?
Lacey Partipilo: I think that’s part of it, yeah. I mean everybody is so connected. So you’re friends with your co-workers. A lot of people are friends with their supervisor. Some organizations even – you know, depending on what type of company it is, they align themselves with certain measures and initiatives and candidates even. Especially non-profits or mission-driven organizations. So I have some clients like that.
So there’s this balance of how do we continue to be friends in the workplace and have healthy dialogue about things that are relevant and going on, but also not let it interfere with work productivity.
Brandon Laws: Yeah. So when you say healthy dialogue, you mean people who have differing beliefs.
Lacey Partipilo: Right, right.
Brandon Laws: Yeah.
Lacey Partipilo: Or even similar beliefs. I think we make a lot of assumptions about people’s beliefs on certain parts of politics and policy. I think that can get folks into trouble because you might think somebody is aligned with you and you might work in a really progressive organization that tends to make decisions that somebody maybe would say are more liberal or even – or on the other side, conservative and then you’re in this conversation and you don’t realize that maybe the thread that you’re pulling there …
Brandon Laws: Is a trigger.
Lacey Partipilo: … is a rub.
Brandon Laws: Yeah, absolutely.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah, for that person.
Brandon Laws: What’s interesting to me and the way I’ve always kind of looked at this whole politics issue – because I at one point got so wrapped up into it. I’m like, “What was the point?” I feel like most people – I’m just making a general statement. I feel like most people want the same thing. Yeah, they want prosperity for all. They want equal rights. They want like all these things. In the end, we just – the varying politics have different ideas about how to get there. And that’s the part we – most people can agree on. But it triggers. It’s crazy.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah. People feel very strongly about this stuff.
Brandon Laws: Yeah.
Lacey Partipilo: And while your political beliefs are not necessarily protected under any state or federal laws, employment laws, they’re very closely tied to things like national origin, race, religion. So when we start talking about that kind of stuff at work or employees think that their supervisor has a certain feeling about something and then a decision is made in the business and an employee is going to make the connection between something that maybe isn’t even really there. I mean I think that’s a risk that employers take when we’re allowing people to have the conversations.
Brandon Laws: Absolutely.
Lacey Partipilo: But even more than just the anti-harassment policies in workplaces, I think the companies that I’m working with right now are really focused on creating an environment that’s safe, comfortable, inclusive for all people. So when you’re doing that and you allow these conversations to happen, I think you run the risk of people feeling excluded and like they don’t fit in and that’s not – certainly not what most organizations want.
Brandon Laws: Well, especially when we preach diversity, right? That means not diversity the way we look necessarily. It could be diversity of ideas.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah, of thought.
Brandon Laws: I wanted to bring up this stat. So I found this article. Actually it came out today, which is October 24th. It’s titled How to Navigate Politics in the Workplace Ahead of the Midterm Elections. This is written by Rachel Montanez. It is a Forbes article.
So there’s a stat in here I want to pull from this article. It said – I hope you’re sitting down for this, listeners. Sixty-seven percent of millennials say they quit their jobs over political differences with their bosses.
Lacey Partipilo: It doesn’t surprise me.
Brandon Laws: It doesn’t surprise you?
Lacey Partipilo: No.
Brandon Laws: But that seems crazy to me, that somebody would quit their job over differing beliefs. Insane. Everybody is preaching diversity.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah.
Brandon Laws: That doesn’t make any sense to me.
Lacey Partipilo: I think in terms of that, maybe not. But in terms of human nature and wanting to fit in and be …
Brandon Laws: I get that.
Lacey Partipilo: … similar, I think that’s probably where that –
Brandon Laws: That’s like also not healthy either though. Because then group think can happen and everybody thinks the same way. I think it’s important that we talk. We feel comfortable to have a different opinion, whether it’s about something business-related or like politics. You have more of a – probably a take on if that belongs in the workplace or not. I don’t think it should be.
But we should be able to like have a conversation if we think of the world differently. We should be able to just be able to talk in a non-heated, argumentative way and come to a resolution or come to an understanding of each other.
Lacey Partipilo: Right.
Brandon Laws: Why we think the way we think. If you close yourself off and you say, “Wow, I quit my job because my manager feels differently,” I think that’s really short-sighted.
Lacey Partipilo: I think it is too. I think that employees want to feel heard and there could be something just about that power dynamic between it being the manager that has the different –
Brandon Laws: Actually, that’s a good way to look at it.
Lacey Partipilo: Different view.
Brandon Laws: Yeah, I get that.
Lacey Partipilo: I also think that when people are educated and trained on having these conversations in a healthy way that doesn’t create animosity and tension, it works. What we see though is that that is not the case. Even in the most professional settings where you’ve got folks that are trained on how to have tough conversations even, they’re engaging in behavior that is unprofessional and not inclusive and makes people feel bad.
Brandon Laws: Yeah.
Lacey Partipilo: So I think because employers oftentimes don’t have the resources to provide that kind of training to employees or they’re maybe not making that – making the effort to do that, you run the risk when you’re allowing them to have those conversations because they’re not mediated. They’re not – they can go sideways quickly.
Brandon Laws: Can I offer a few book ideas for these people who can’t have conversations?
Lacey Partipilo: Yes.
Brandon Laws: How to Win Friends and Influence People, is it Difficult Conversations? Fierce Conversations.
Lacey Partipilo: Yes.
Brandon Laws: How to Say Anything to Anyone.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah.
Brandon Laws: Those are books that have come out in my head about how to have tough conversations with people or how to see somebody else’s point of view and ask the right questions. I think it is hard. I think a lot of issues that we see in the workplace come down to these. How do we have a one to one conversation, have an understanding and maybe an empathetic point of view? Because otherwise, things do go sideways because sometimes we can’t be adults.
Lacey Partipilo: Right, right. And I think just to make the point too that right now, we’re talking about leading up until the actual election when decisions are made. But as we saw two years ago, the post-election time in workplaces was so traumatic truly for some people and so invigorating for others.
Brandon Laws: Invigorating. I haven’t heard that one.
Lacey Partipilo: I think that it was. I think that people got really –
Brandon Laws: Well, like business leaders probably.
Lacey Partipilo: Yes, yeah. People who benefited from some of the policy changes that they thought would be coming or have since come, they were excited, hopeful, right? So – and you see that with every election whether it’s the presidential one or the midterms. But I think employers need to be sensitive and this expectation that we used to hear when you leave your stuff at the door and don’t bring it into work. I think being prepared that people may have these emotional reactions to whatever happens with this election, even this midterm one, that it could influence the workplace.
Brandon Laws: Yeah. I absolutely think it will. I’m reading this book right now, Bring Your Human to Work, where it’s – it really sheds light on the fact that we’re all human beings and we need to make the workplace – if we want to make it a great place, make it a little bit more human. It’s hard to leave the stuff at the door.
Lacey Partipilo: It’s impossible.
Brandon Laws: Everybody has baggage in one way or another and some people, if a certain policy didn’t go through or a certain elected official was elected and you didn’t see the world the way they do, I get it why somebody would be emotional about that. It’s hard to leave that at the door. So what can employers really do to make sure that they have the support that they need and create that safe space that you’re talking about?
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah. I think the first thing is to recognize that there could be an impact. So to pay attention to it, have supervisors trained to be empathetic and understanding. Listen to employees. Ask employees how they’re doing. Not necessarily just about this election but just in general, it’s a good idea to check in with your people and see how they’re doing. Regular one-on-ones I think is great and sometimes even having a conversation, which I’ve actually had with two different clients in the last two weeks during team meetings have actually been asked to present on this topic and how employees can be more mindful of how they’re showing up at work.
Brandon Laws: Yeah, that’s great.
Lacey Partipilo: To be understanding of one another, not make assumptions about what people’s beliefs might be based on other conversations you’ve had, and to just give grace and be kind right now because it could be a tough period for certain folks.
Brandon Laws: Yeah. There’s one thing in this article that I mentioned earlier that I thought was fascinating and it stuck out to me. What you can do as an individual – it said do your research, meaning talk to third party people outside the organization or a coach and make sure you’ve defined your values, your value system and make sure that whatever the company’s values are and the people within it aligns well with your – I think that would be a really good place to start, especially if you felt that the political thing would be a really big issue for you.
If you’re going to be emotional every single day and not see the way – or like judge a bunch of people because of the way they believe, if your values don’t align, then like get out.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah. I think that’s what it comes down to fundamentally. It’s about values and not necessarily about being on the right or the left or the middle or something else.
Brandon Laws: A hundred percent. Yeah, that’s a good way to put it.
Lacey Partipilo: But there have been people who have left organizations because they felt that like – like I said, that they didn’t fit in or that their values weren’t aligned and I think those are tough decisions that people have to make. So trying to do your research on the front-end during the hiring process if you’re looking for work is important.
Brandon Laws: So what recommendations would you have for employers to sort of support people with this– you know, not obviously bring politics into the work place. But how do they support people and make sure that it’s a non-issue?
Lacey Partipilo: I think by reiterating what the organization’s values are is important, making sure that people have a place to go and someone to talk to if they have a concern and that people know what that reporting structure looks like in terms of reporting workplace concerns and just being aware that this is an emotional time for a lot of people and to give space for that. I think those are the best things that you can do right now.
Brandon Laws: Good. In terms of clients and people that have been talking to you about it, they’ve obviously brought it up. What have you done personally to support your clients with issues like these?
Lacey Partipilo: Some of the things that I just talked about.
Brandon Laws: Yeah.
Lacey Partipilo: So really reminding people of what our expectations are around professional communication, what’s OK, what’s not OK. If you hear something that’s not OK, who do I report that too? And just reminding people not to make assumptions. I think that’s – for me and for a lot of the companies I’m working with, that’s just so important because when we do that, I think we miss out on connection with people. So don’t assume someone thinks a certain way. Have a conversation. If you can do that thoughtfully and in a safe environment, I think that’s great.
Brandon Laws: What about social media use with employees? So let’s say there’s a couple really active people, which is I think great. Like to have an opinion and be able to have a platform to do that. But let’s say it’s becoming disruptive for people who think differently in the organization. They see that behavior.
Lacey Partipilo: Absolutely. That happens.
Brandon Laws: What can an employer do if anything and if it becomes a disruption, where it’s on their personal time, on their own social media account, but it may go against what other people are believing? What do you do there?
Lacey Partipilo: If it’s not in violation of a policy, so it’s not a statement of harassment or discrimination, it’s not unlawful behavior, employers are pretty limited. But I think being able to remind employees of what professional conduct looks like and that includes social media behavior outside of work, if you choose to be friends with people that you work with on social media or allow those folks to follow you and you’re going to post that kind of stuff, helping those people understand, it could impact your interpersonal relationships with your co-workers.
Brandon Laws: A hundred percent agree. The other thing I would say about that, because you hit on a good point there, is coming from a marketing guy, it’s your personal brand too and that will follow you. You will have people that might resonate with your ideas and your opinions and that’s great. But you could also like totally neglect the other audience where they may just form a short-sighted or surfacey view of you based on what you’re saying. So just be cognizant of that. That’s all I would say.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah.
Brandon Laws: Yeah. Well, good stuff. Anything else on this topic? I mean this is a – it’s going to be going on for the next month or so, I can imagine.
Lacey Partipilo: Yeah. I think it would be interesting to hear from some of the listeners I guess if any of you are experiencing this and maybe things that you’re implementing right now to get prepared for this midterm election.
Brandon Laws: Yeah. I mean if you have horror stories as well, we want to hear those too. So reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram. Direct message me there. Lacey is on LinkedIn and you can of course email us. I will put both of our email addresses in the show notes (brandon.laws@xeniumhr.com & lacey.partipilo@xeniumhr.com). Thanks for tuning in to today’s What’s Up in the Workplace episode. Lacey, we’re going to miss you for the next few months.
Lacey Partipilo: I know, I know. But it will be something to look forward too though in February.
Brandon Laws: Yeah. OK, listeners. I’ve got an ask for you, go to Apple Podcast if that’s where you listen. Give us a review and let Lacey know how much you will miss her and how much you enjoyed her being on What’s Up in the Workplace for all these episodes. I’m going to miss you.
Lacey Partipilo: Oh, thanks.
Brandon Laws: Best of luck. See you.