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Geoffrey K. Cummings

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Campaign politics in the workplace: should your employees mind their political manners?

The presidential election is generating a tremendous amount of interest.  Many Americans are passionate and extremely emotional about their candidate or political party.  In the workplace, political discussions can be a minefield.  What happens when an employee simply cannot leave his or her opinions at home? Or, when a company publicly takes a strong political stance, does it begin alienating clients?  What if it pressures employees to support its party or candidate of choice?

According to a 2008 survey by the American Management Association (http://www.amanet.org), many employees feel uncomfortable when peers or supervisors voice their political views.  Stopping political discussion altogether is nearly impossible, but there are steps you can take to minimize the disruption in your workplace:

What if political discussion is having a negative impact on a business?

Some employees will inevitably openly express their beliefs. If an employee's political blather is creating uncomfortable conditions or hindering productivity, your business probably already has policies in place to manage the issue.  Consider enforcing:

• a non-solicitation policy (with a history of being enforced)
• rules against personal or inappropriate e-mail and Internet use
• rules or policies prohibiting disrespectful conduct

Are there benefits to prohibiting political discussions in the workplace?

If your company takes a strong political stance, remember that such views may alienate corporate clients or individual customers.  Never allow captive audience speeches to employees.  If a fundraiser is held on premises, it should be held after hours, with attendance on a purely voluntary basis.  Politics can also be divisive between employees and supervisors.  Limiting or prohibiting supervisors from having political discussions with employees may be the safest choice.

If you allow it, here's how to control it:

Political discussion can have a positive impact on the workplace.  Politically passionate employees are often also passionate about their work.  The presidential campaign and the voting process is the "American Way."  If politics are frequently discussed in your workplace, but aren't causing problems, be proactive by:

• making sure the discussions are not impacting productivity
• ensuring they are not disruptive to other employees
• enforcing appropriate limitations, both internally and externally
• maintaining limitations on supervisors
• never allowing captive audience speeches
• prohibiting soliciting and pressure to make political contributions. 

Next Steps

We welcome your questions. Please contact Geoffrey Cummings at gcummings@preti.com or 207.791.3000 with questions on this topic or other employment law issues.