Politics

Politics and Work in a Divisive Climate – Business News Daily

Published

5 years ago

February 6, 2020

Harry Miller

fizkes / Getty Images

According to a survey from Glassdoor, 60% of respondents said they believed political discussions at work were “unacceptable,” though 57% said they engaged in them anyway.
With a highly contentious election looming in November, 28% of respondents said they had a co-worker try to get them to change political affiliations.
Still, researchers learned that 54% of employees felt companies should encourage political activity or going to the polls outside of work.

There’s a common belief that in the pantheon of conversation topics you shouldn’t bring up in polite conversation, politics ranks right up there next to sex and religion. Yet as the 2020 election grows closer, it’s become nearly impossible to escape our firebrand Republican president and the large group of Democrats vying for their chance to oppose him in the polls. People’s feelings on the matter are red-hot, and if you’re running a small business, you’ve likely overheard potentially contentious discussions among your employees.

Earlier today, Glassdoor revealed data that shows just how prevalent political discourse in the workplace has become. In an online survey conducted by The Harris Poll last month, more than 1,200 employed American adults shared their experiences and preferences with workplace political banter.

With politics serving as an ideological wedge throughout most of the country, you may want to stymie the conversation at your company altogether. Given Glassdoor’s latest findings, as well as existing legal standards, there may be some steps you can take to bring the workplace Overton window back to the middle.

Employees see political conversations as a negative

While nearly every part of the country is embroiled in what feels like one massive heated debate on the future of its democratic beliefs, Glassdoor’s researchers found that most respondents wanted little to do with it in the workplace. While 60% believe the topic is “unacceptable” for the workplace, women were more likely to want to avoid the topic than their male counterparts by a margin of 66% to 54%.

Researchers also found that employees in some states are more likely to talk about politics at work, with 58% of employees in blue states (according to the 2016 election) and 56% of employees in red states saying they’d talked politics at work.

Further, 57% of respondents said they discussed politics regardless of the topic’s perceived negativity at work. That kind of disconnect can introduce unwanted tension into the workplace. As a business owner, if things are getting tense in the office, you can try to set boundaries to potentially avoid such a situation.

“The amount of casual [political] conversation should be consistent with what that workplace has done traditionally,” Sandra Spataro, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Yale University’s School of Management, told Monster. “What you don’t want to do is introduce 10 minutes for politics talk in banking when that has never happened before. It should be something that occurs naturally or doesn’t happen at all.”

When considering their potential career opportunities, 60% of respondents said discussing politics at work could negatively impact their prospects, with 63% of employees aged 18 to 34 feeling the same way. Additionally, 62% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans polled said sharing their political views could hurt their career opportunities.

Political headhunting can cause further issues

It’s not much of a stretch to say that the current political landscape can be compared to a sporting event, with both “teams” looking to score “points” against one another. One way that people often engage in this back and forth is by trying to pull someone over to their side. Using persuasive arguments and their own political beliefs, people can often try to brow-beat a person into joining their cause.

According to researchers, such situations have occurred to 28% of respondents, who said they had at least one co-worker try to change their political preferences in the last year.

Such actions could be seen by some as a way to end any possible political squabbles through assimilation. Researchers found that 21% of respondents said they “would not want to work with a co-worker who plans to vote for a presidential candidate they don’t like in the next election.” That sentiment could also be drawn along party lines, as 24% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats felt the same way.

When you should step in

As a business owner, you’re likely aware of the problem facing you for the next nine months. With tensions continually ratcheting up in Washington, things are likely to boil over if you don’t address existing fault lines in your workspace. You may want to help, but can you? Should you?

It’s important here to note that First Amendment protections do not extend into the workplace. Attorney Grant Alexander told the Society for Human Resource Management that “employees working in the private sector often [don’t understand] that the constitutional First Amendment right to free speech applies to government employees but not employees working for businesses.”

With that in mind, you are within your right to set boundaries for the kinds of political dialogue you allow in the workplace within reason, or in accordance with local or state law. Having an honest conversation with your employees about the problems such conversations can bring to the office can be one way to set expectations.

“As a manager, if I saw that there was an issue, I would remind people that there are standards of professionalism and common courtesy,” Spataro told Monster. “What you don’t want to do is introduce differences between employees that are going to bring in more conflict or negative sentiment.”

While it may be tempting to stifle political conversations in the workplace, you could benefit from encouraging political activism outside the office. According to Glassdoor’s data, 54% of respondents said they felt companies should “encourage their employees to vote or be politically active outside of work.”

Creating a workplace culture where people can freely exchange ideas without being overly judgmental or prejudiced can be a tough yet rewarding experience. How you handle the current political climate in your office is ultimately up to you and your employees – creating an environment where people listen more to one another can go a long way. [Read related article: Are Workplace Politics Destroying Your Business? Here’s How to Fix It]

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Politics

‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Politics

Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Politics

Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

Published

2 days ago

November 7, 2024

Anne Joseph

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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