by Mary Beth Barry
It’s that time of year where it is virtually impossible to avoid political discussions in the workplace. Employers may risk reduced productivity from workers, declining customer service and loss of worker focus. Or worse yet, they may have to navigate a disrespectful or contentious conversation prior to, during or after the election season.
Should you just tell your employees that they shouldn’t engage in these types of discussions at your workplace?
That may be an option, assuming you don’t risk potentially violating federal or applicable state laws that may protect employees’ political expression. However, as Catholic leaders we are called to provide ethical leadership. Leaders should demonstrate and consider allowing appropriate and thoughtful conduct inside and outside of the office and respect ethical beliefs and values.
We are also called to help our employees understand our organization’s mission and how our beliefs and values should be incorporated into everyday activities. This means loving our neighbor, even during discussions with those whose beliefs and moral standards may differ from their own. As seen in the Catechism of the Catholic Church “Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, “that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.” For lay people, “this evangelization . . . is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.”440 the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful.441
With the right tools and support, allowing healthy discussions can be done in a loving, educational and supportive way and be an effective tool for evangelization.
Have applicable policies/handbook guidelines
- As any good HR rep will tell you, make sure you have a carefully crafted and uniformly enforced policy that establishes guidelines related to appropriate and respectful business conduct.
- Remember you cannot dictate what people think but you can establish how people behave in certain circumstances.
- HR should first determine whether political beliefs, affiliation or activity are a protected category in their state.
- Remember to reference the National Labor Relations Act and state laws and apply applicable language as needed and include appropriate carve-outs for expressions protected those laws
- Review and revise, if necessary, your policy every couple of years
- Consider placing limits around political activity such as when and where they can discuss topics, what materials can be distributed etc.
- You may want to discourage supervisors (either formally or informally) from engaging in political discussions with subordinates in order to minimize potential claims of discrimination, harassment or bullying.
- Consistently enforce any policy.
- A carefully created and uniformly enforced policy often will lower the risk of employee claims while increasing worker productivity.
- Consider if you have more than one policy that touches on your expectations around workplace conduct and behavior and be consistent in the language (think policies on: harassment and how to report incidence of it, social media posts, misconduct, performance expectations).
Proactively communicate expectations around workplace behavior
- Many of your policies were seen by staff during their onboarding experience but have not been revisited. Consider periodically redistributing your policies as a reminder.
- Consider conducting refresher training on your expectations around workplace behavior. You don’t have to specifically target the election season, cover this as an overall reminder to staff.
Whether in a policy, a training or just a pre-emptive reminder email to employees, remind employees:
- They are responsible for their statements and actions
- Language that’s harassing or negatively impacts working relationships will not be tolerated
- Even if you disagree with someone, always be respectful.
- Being kind is much more important than trying to convince someone you are right.
- Work should be a safe and affirming place for them to focus on their jobs.
- The goal of a discussion to reach a greater understanding
- Your organization supports a culture of mutual respect and consideration
What should a leader do to foster a value driven workplace conversation around different ideas
- Never invalidate someone else’s experience.
- Listen empathetically
- Encourage good behavior
- Make sure your responses are rooted in love.
In summary, being an ethical leader means promoting open communication, avoiding bias, and leading by example. We are motivated by the dignity and rights of others. Leaders should find ways to allow respectful, informative and value driven conversations.
“We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.” – Pope Francis, 9/16/13
Faithful Citizenship – Justice Peace and Human Development | USCCB
I encourage you to also reference our 2019 webinar which discusses Off-Premises Conduct Issues for Catholic Employers in our Members Only Room.