No Politics. No Exceptions. Why I Banned Political Talk at My Company

You want to have an open and friendly workplace. You want people to feel comfortable expressing their views in a safe space. You believe that everyone’s view should be respected and that, as a family of workers, it would be great for everyone to debate issues and share their thoughts. I would love this too. But I’ve learned that what I want is not possible.

A friend of mine is very political. He goes to rallies and contributes to politicians who support his interests. That’s fine. But then it becomes not fine. During election times, he puts campaign posters on his company’s front lawns. He shares his opinions freely in the office, which anyone within earshot can hear. He’s got his favorite news channel running on his computer all the time. Everyone knows his politics.

I have another friend who works at a regional marketing firm. She’s also very political and not afraid to wear shirts, buttons and hats with political slogans. Her posts to Instagram are full of these opinions. Everyone knows her politics, too.

Imagine working for these people. Imagine working alongside these people. It’s one thing if you agree with them. But what if you don’t? What if they know you don’t? You can’t tell me this doesn’t impact relationships. Or that it can cause significant conflict. None of this is good for business. And it certainly wouldn’t be good for my business. Which is why we have a specific policy in my company: no politics, period. No one I do business with should know my politics. And I shouldn’t know the politics of anyone working for me.

Here’s our policy in our employee handbook:

“To maintain a respectful, professional and inclusive workplace, political speech and activities are not permitted in the office or during work hours. This includes, but is not limited to, displaying political materials, campaigning, soliciting support or engaging in political discussions that may disrupt productivity or create discomfort among employees. Employees are expected to keep their personal political beliefs and activities separate from the workplace.”

What about the First Amendment? Doesn’t everyone have the right to free speech, even in the office? Of course, the First Amendment protects the right of free speech. But not necessarily in the workplace, and especially not my workplace.

“Private employers, by contrast (to public employers), generally have more leeway to regulate political expression that is unrelated to workplace conditions, subject to state or local laws that prohibit discrimination based on political affiliation or lawful off-duty conduct,” labor attorneys S. McKinley Gray, III and X. Lightfoot of the law firm Ward and Smith recently wrote. “A measured approach — paired with clear, narrowly tailored social media and conduct policies — can help reduce legal risk while maintaining a professional and respectful workplace.”

A measured approach? Not for me. Here’s some better advice: ban politics from the office. Ban it all. No signs. No discussions. No nothing. Violation of this policy results in suspension. Two suspensions result in employment termination. Sounds harsh? Not really.

I admit implementing this policy at my business is a little easier because my company is fully virtual. But your office is a place of business. Your employees’ political views have absolutely nothing to do with their jobs. People need to feel comfortable and safe coming to work. They shouldn’t have to fear retribution, bullying or mistreatment from some co-workers, their bosses or even the owner of the company because of their personal stand on issues important to them.

What about outside work? You can’t stop people from participating in political events, going to rallies and posting on social media. What people do in their personal lives isn’t your concern. But your policy should be clear that those activities — and any mention of them — need to be left at the reception desk.

This policy not only extends to senior management to owners but also needs to be demonstrated publicly by both. I have some clients who allow signs for a candidate to be hung above their desks. I have others who make it no secret that they contribute to a certain party. My client has his news station loudly playing in his office. Others are listening to political podcasts at their desks. Right now.

A recent survey by Morning Consult/BSR revealed that U.S. workers are three times more likely to prefer working for companies that actively support social justice causes over those that do not. People say you should be outright about what you stand for. Some of my clients believe that they have a moral duty to support certain political positions or candidates. I get it. Today’s employees prefer working at companies that are socially active and take a side.

Regardless, it’s a bad strategy.

That’s because today’s environment, politics are simply bad for business. Given the clear split of voters in this country, allowing employees — and owners — to discuss these options will automatically alienate half of your workforce. It will create an uncomfortable work environment. It will expose your company to bad employee reviews on Glassdoor or Indeed or simply negative social posts. The world sees this. And it’s not a good look for a company, like most companies, that are vying for talent in this era of tight labor.

And it will impact your growth.

Being or allowing politics to seep into the workplace ultimately finds its way into your customers’ universe. And, like employees, you’ll find that half of these customers will disagree with whatever is being said by or supported by your company. I realize there are some contradictions (i.e., the huge popularity of Chick-fil-A by many younger, left-leaning people despite the company’s founder’s right-leaning views). But for the most part, you’re setting yourself up for boycotts, giving fuel to your competitor and at the very least creating potentially negative PR for your company.

For me, a better practice is to take a harder approach. No politics in the office. Period.

You want to have an open and friendly workplace. You want people to feel comfortable expressing their views in a safe space. You believe that everyone’s view should be respected and that, as a family of workers, it would be great for everyone to debate issues and share their thoughts. I would love this too. But I’ve learned that what I want is not possible.

A friend of mine is very political. He goes to rallies and contributes to politicians who support his interests. That’s fine. But then it becomes not fine. During election times, he puts campaign posters on his company’s front lawns. He shares his opinions freely in the office, which anyone within earshot can hear. He’s got his favorite news channel running on his computer all the time. Everyone knows his politics.

I have another friend who works at a regional marketing firm. She’s also very political and not afraid to wear shirts, buttons and hats with political slogans. Her posts to Instagram are full of these opinions. Everyone knows her politics, too.