Rishi Sunak’s rain-sodden announcement of a 4 July general election may have been a damp squib for some, but for many it will kickstart an intense period of fevered political debate.
Some of this will take place in offices and may cause HR some anxiety around working relationships.
A recent Raconteur/Attest survey found that 67% of UK workers were happy to discuss politics at work with 20% of workers saying they discuss politics at work daily.
Against this, employment agency Reed has found 30% of Brits only talk about politics in the workplace before a general election, so it is fair to say there are widely varying attitudes towards such discussions, and varying levels of comfort among those preferring to listen in rather than participate.
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Whether businesses are happy to let such debates break out, they are going to be difficult to suppress in coming months, said HR expert David Rice at People Managing People.
“Most British people tend to keep their political stance to themselves. However, ahead of a general election, discussions are bound to happen with strong opinions being shared in the workplace,” he said,
“Generally, Brits don’t want to talk about who they vote for. However this is much more likely to happen in the run up to an election, which naturally, can cause friction between team members.”
He warned that without a code of conduct policy that addresses political speech there is a great risk of things going “nuclear between two employees who don’t see eye-to-eye on a hot-button issue.”
Such a code should include references to appropriate workwear – T-shirts displaying slogans or offensive language should be banned. There should be an official policy against political discrimination in place that includes “unwelcome behaviour such as jokes, insults, or gestures so there are no blurred lines around this. Make it clear that any employee engaging in such behaviour will face disciplinary action if necessary,” said Rice.
Above all an atmosphere of respect must be maintained in which employees’ beliefs are not dismissed. Inflammatory topics should be avoided, he added.
Training on handling political conflicts at work and recognising signs of discrimination or harassment can be helpful in helping employees identify potential issues early on.
Clear expectations should be set out from day one, including the language and topics for discussion on company online communication channels, which should be free of politically charged content.
Rice said: “Even during the onboarding process for new hires, you should inform all employees that the company has well-defined policies and procedures in place for conflict resolution and a code of conduct.
“Outline what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable when discussing political topics at work. This will provide a framework for addressing and managing political conflicts when they arise.”
With the UK election being called against a background of continued conflict in Gaza and Israel, the onset of the US election cycle and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such policies are likely to become much in vogue.
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