How HR can help employees navigate political conversations at work

How HR can help employees navigate political conversations at work
Companies may start by hiring an ‘ombud’ to be a confidential and neutral resource for employees.

By Mikaela Cohen, HR Brew Strategy Reporter

The 2024 US election may be over, but it may not feel that way in the workplace.

“I wonder how many people are going to be fired today for a fist fight during lunch over the election. I would be willing to bet that number will not be zero,” David Barron, an employment attorney at law firm Cozen O’Connor, said during a virtual webinar on Nov. 6.

Even before many had cast their ballots, the election had made its mark: 27% of managers said the election caused conflict between employees, while 38% said it decreased morale and productivity, according to an October Resume Builder report. And 75% of workers surveyed by career platform Zety in October said political conversations had them thinking about quitting.

People leaders who are continuing to manage political disagreements among employees might consider bringing in outside experts to help, said Ellen Waldman, VP of advocacy and educational outreach at International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR).

“Outside experts have the advantage of not being within the company culture…they’re in a unique position to be honest brokers,” she told HR Brew. “[It’s] a huge benefit for being able to gain the trust of people, and help them calm down, and be in a better position to listen, and maybe find ways of navigating these topics that are so emotionally fraught.”

I need somebody. Help. Not just anybody. Enlisting outside help may include bringing in temporary experts from organizations like CPR, or hiring an “ombudsman,” Waldman said. Ombuds are usually hired through a third-party resource and can offer employees a confidential, neutral, safe space to take their complaints and issues without fear of retaliation, she added. And if employees report disagreements in their early stages, ombuds can monitor and prevent them from escalating.

“If you embed someone in the organization whose role is to make sure that conflict that’s simmering is dealt with promptly, and isn’t allowed to fester and grow, then you’re really catching conflict while it’s small, before it’s taken on a very disruptive role in the organization,” she said.

Cynthia McEwen, VP of people and head of DE&I at benefits platform Progyny, has multiple ombuds available to her roughly 550 employees. She told HR Brew that she values the support they provide.

“This is a way to hopefully give [employees] a resource that might lead them to stay with you,” she said. “It’s also another way of reinforcing the kind of work environment that you have and the support that you want employees to feel when they work for you.”

What else can HR do? In addition to hiring ombuds, McEwen said there are additional strategies for handling political conversations, like not squashing or discouraging them. “That never works,” she said, because “any hot topic” is bound to come up.

McEwen suggested that codes of conduct and policies address employee communication. In the aftermath of the election, she said HR pros should remind employees that they’re expected to treat each other with respect, dignity, civility, and inclusivity. They can also introduce training or programs on how to conduct civil discourse.

“Your perspective that employees need to work together, to be able to collaborate, to be able to be productive in the workplace, has to prevail,” she said. “Even when employees get into conversations with each other, where it feels like they can’t then come together and be colleagues after, the important thing is to remind them of the [company’s] expectations.”

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