Politics

Does political banter belong in the office? – New York Post

Published

5 years ago

February 16, 2020

Embarrassed. That’s how Sam Smith (last name changed), 32, says he feels about JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s 2018 rant in which he claimed to be tougher and smarter than President Trump, and that he could beat him in an election.

“It’s disconcerting when the CEO of your employer says something like that about the president,” says the software engineer. “We’re supposed to trust [Dimon’s] judgement. Our paychecks and bonuses depend on him.”

Sam says he also got into a kerfuffle about the incident with some co-workers. “They cited freedom of speech. I argued that when you’re the CEO, you speak for the company. Anyways, we’re over it now, but it could have gotten ugly.”

Welcome to the new world of work, where discussing politics, once considered taboo, is quickly becoming the norm. In a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 56 percent of US employees said that politics and the discussion of political issues have become more common in the past four years. Forty-two percent have personally experienced political disagreements at work, while 34 percent said their workplace is not inclusive of differing political perspectives, and 12 percent have personally experienced bias because of their political-affiliation bias.

Jamie Dimon, Chair and CEO of JP Morgan ChaseGetty Images

Moreover, president of SHRM Johnny Taylor says an unprecedented number of employers are calling his office for counsel about dealing with situations arising from political discussions. “They want to know if they can ban them,” he says, noting that public companies can’t, but some private companies can. “But that’s not what we recommend.”

He suggests that employers encourage workers to engage civilly. “But if talking about politics becomes a distraction and takes away from work, managers are going to have to deal with it, or people might leave,” he says.

Enduring a constant barrage of political talk was one of the reasons that Sarah Johnson, a public relations director at Midtown-based Fit Small Business, quit her last job. “I started there right before the 2016 election and all I heard, all day, was how great one particular candidate was,” she says. “And then when Trump won the election, everyone was devastated.”

Things got worse for the Upper East Sider. “All anyone talked about was protesting against Trump. The only way you could get time off was if you were going to protest.”

Jennifer Goldman-Wetzler, Ph.D., author of “Optimal Outcomes: Free Yourself From Conflict at Work, at Home, and in Life” (Harper Business, out Feb. 25) says you may not have to go as far as quitting to escape the chatter. “Try addressing the issue head-on.

Say something like, ‘Hey, I love you, but I’d rather not talk about politics all of the time,’ or ‘These discussions are getting in the way of my work,’ ” she says.

That said, sometimes bosses, and others, believe that everyone has the same opinions and feelings they do and have no idea that they might be making others feel uncomfortable.

“There, it’s the manager that might need to make the change,” says Goldman-Wetzler. However, if everyone wants to talk about politics all of time and you don’t, consider if you fit the job. “Some people do better if they are aligned with a company’s values,” she says.

Christina Roldan, managing director of Gentleman Scholar, a creative production company in Soho, says that people in her office talk about presidential politics, and other politics, freely, all the time. One of the art directors, Dennis Go, is Chinese-Filipino and was openly excited about former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who dropped out of the race last week.

‘When Trump won the election, everyone was devastated.’

“[He] wore his Yang Gang gear to work,” says Roldan. “We’ve discussed if Michael Bloomberg has a chance of getting the nomination due to his being Jewish and how that may affect him being elected with some of the horrible anti-Semitic activities happening in the country . . . We also had a lot of tears after Trump won, so there wasn’t much hiding there either,” she says.

Roldan sees the differences in opinion at Gentleman Scholar “as a way of celebrating our diversity.” However, Gentleman Scholar seems to be more the exception than the rule. A survey by the Ascent, a financial review hub owned by the Motley Fool, found that more than 77 percent of survey respondents said that they’d be less comfortable discussing politics at work than their health or quitting their jobs.

But conversations about politics, including the environment and sustainability, don’t need to be confrontational, says Jason Parkin, president and chief creative officer of Compose[d], a provider of digital and creative services in Midtown. Although he hasn’t told his staff whom he plans to vote for in the primaries, he suspects they know. “I feel very strongly about the environment,” he says. Yet, “inclusivity and standing up for equality are also very dear to me. You don’t need to think like we do to be hired or to fit into a particular box to work here.”

Still, the entire team at Compose[d] went to the Climate Strike in September without losing a day of pay. “No one was forced to go, they could have stayed in the office and worked. They wouldn’t have been shamed,” says Parkin.

You do need to be careful about how and when you express your political opinions in the workplace, especially in job interviews. Abby Thomas, the New York branch manager at Robert Half, a human resources consulting firm, says she was put off by a candidate who started her interview by talking about the divisive political climate. “It’s not what she said, but the context. Politics can be very emotional and polarizing. You have to be mindful of that.”

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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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