We spend a large portion of our waking hours at work, making it more important than ever to feel psychologically safe on the job. Due to the current political climate, upcoming presidential election, and other stressors, there is the potential for conflicts with other people—including coworkers—to increase.
When an employee feels “psychologically safe” at work, it means they believe they won’t be punished for sharing their ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Every worker has the opportunity and the responsibility to make their workplace a psychologically safe place for their colleagues and themselves. These tips can help you ease tensions, communicate respectfully, and contribute to a supportive working environment.
Understand that people have different levels of comfort when it comes to talking about politics at work. Some people may be comfortable discussing this, and others won’t be. If you decide to bring up politics, do it respectfully—avoid bashing a candidate or party, as well as anyone who might vote for that candidate or party. And although it’s easy to get riled up about politics, it’s important to remain calm during the discussion.
If you’re not comfortable talking about politics at work and someone tries to engage you in conversation about it, be firm but friendly and say something like, “I’m not up for talking about that right now/at work” and then change the topic to something work-related or to a shared interest.
Respect other people’s perspectives. Your colleagues likely have a wide range of beliefs and values, and some of those may be the polar opposite of your own. You don’t have to like or agree with those perspectives, but you do need to treat others respectfully. If you’re working with someone who you know is across the spectrum from you politically, engage with them just like you’d engage with anyone else. Be cordial and avoid behaviors like frowning or rolling your eyes at them or freezing them out when they speak to you.
Focus on the common goal instead of the differences. Everyone at your job has one thing in common: They’re there to help the business succeed, just like you are. And for the colleagues you’re on a team or in a department with, you all share even more common goals!
When you’re working with someone whose beliefs you don’t agree with, try not to look at them as “that person who votes for so-and-so, ugh!”—reframe it as “that person whose accounting skills keep the team on track.” They very well may be that person who votes for so-and-so, but they do that outside of work. Focusing on what they do at work can help you remember the positive things they do while they work toward the same goal as you.
Remember that it’s okay to agree to disagree. Despite your best efforts to avoid it, there may be times you end up in conversations at work about hot-button topics.While it may be tempting to use it as an opportunity to try to change someone’s mind, work isn’t the time or place for that. Instead, focus on remaining respectful. Find ways to politely exit the conversation if you can, or try to switch the topic of conversation to something more neutral.
Get help when needed. Working with people who have different beliefs than you do can be challenging sometimes, and it may be beneficial for you to seek support.
If you’re feeling isolated because you know you’re an “X color dot in a Y color workplace/town/state,” talking to a counselor may help. You may also wish to increase time spent—either in person or virtually—with friends and loved ones whose beliefs are similar to yours so that you feel less alone.
If coworkers are constantly bringing up politics around you and you feel uncomfortable, you may want to have a conversation with your manager or human resources. How they handle it will likely depend on your company’s rules and culture, but it is in everyone’s best interests for the workplace to be a respectful environment for everyone.
If you are being disrespected or discriminated against by coworkers, the problem may come in the form of microaggressions (subtle but damaging comments or behaviors that express prejudice toward a marginalized person or group) or be more obvious, such as coworkers making derogatory comments about things like your race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political affiliation. Document these instances in writing, noting who was present, who said or did what, and when and where the issue happened, and ask to meet with your manager or HR. If your workplace has an EAP, lean on them for support and guidance as well. You are not being a tattletale by bringing the issue to someone’s attention—everyone is entitled to feel psychologically and physically safe at work, and that includes you.
Caring for you in all ways. Always.
We understand that this is a challenging time for many people, and we’re here for you. We encourage you to visit our blog, where you’ll find a wide range of articles to help you manage stress, achieve better work/life balance, and more. Organizations, if you think our content would be helpful to your employees, please feel free to include our articles in your company newsletters or link out to them on your intranet.
In addition, if you are a Health Advocate member and you’re having difficulty coping during this election season, log on to healthadvocate.com/members today to get support from one of our caring advocates.
