Employees Expressing Political Views at Work? Essay Example

Employees who profess their strong views regarding politics in the workplace environment must be able to recognize that these comments are not universally welcome by all persons. This is critical because differing political opinions may lead to unnecessary tension in other areas, particularly during election season. Depending on the environment, organizations should allow freedom of expression, but only within reason so that it does not interfere with work activities and roles.

Debates surrounding politics may become heated in some situations; however, some states do not permit political discrimination on the basis of affiliation (Gray). Therefore, human resources departments may find it difficult to develop policies that do not interfere with political freedoms as governed by states (Gray). Nonetheless, that does not mean that organizational leaders and human resources personnel cannot have discussions regarding politics so that employees are cognizant of how their views might be interpreted by others and cause unnecessary tension in the workplace (Gray).

Discussions between human resources personnel and employees must be honest and frame the argument in such a way that it does not alienate individuals from any political affiliation (Gray). This discussion may enlighten some employees if they do not recognize that their discussions may be frustrating for others (Gray). Most importantly, political conversations should be quite, discreet, and take up minimal time in order to enable others to perform their roles effectively and without serious disruptions. Therefore, political talk, although not banned or forbidden in the workplace environment, should be calm and quiet so as not to interrupt other work activities in such a way that it impacts the level of productivity that is desired within the workplace environment.

Works Cited

Gray, Keisha-Ann G. “Debating politics at work.” Human Resource Executive Online 26 October 2014: http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=533346180