I recently mentioned politics at work in our employee break room and was quickly chastised. All I did was say how great it was that VP Harris selected Tim Walz as her running mate. Is politics off limits at work? This is such an important election; I feel like I should be able to discuss it.



A. There are a number of topics that are absolutely off limits at work. And you’ve identified the “third rail” topic that politics is. Unless you are working for a candidate organization, political conversations are considered off limits in professional settings due to their potential to generate strong negative emotions and conflict. Few things can generate animosity, fear, and anger as effectively as politics, especially when discussed in a workplace setting. You mention that all you did was talk about the candidate and their running mate but reverse the position. If someone else had suggested what a great selection it was for the opposing candidate to have done something, would you have found that an acceptable comment, or would it have started a heated discussion in a lunchroom that would probably have no positive resolution?

Lobbying for any political candidate in a work environment, unless the president of a company, partners of a firm, or owner of a company has decided to do so, is off limits. If the partners of a firm or the leaders of an organization feel compelled to sponsor events for political candidates, you cannot be forced or even strongly encouraged to attend the events or donate to their campaign. So again, they’re in the position to lead that activity. As an employee, you are not. But you are in the position to decline participation or attendance. And back to the third rail; there has been a significant amount of misinformation regarding company CEOs and their specific remarks, highlighting just how sensitive this issue is.

Depending on whether you work or a public or private organization, labor laws come into play. If you are the senior most leader you probably have communicated with your labor attorney, if you have decided to make these conversations part of the workplace. If you are a political activist, make sure that you don’t bring this to work, especially in an employment at will state. Make sure you don’t talk to people about it. Make sure that you refrain from using work hours or company resources for campaigning, including your work email. If you feel strongly about discussing politics, it’s best to do so outside of work hours and off company property.

Keep in mind is that employers have criticized individuals who express their political views on LinkedIn and there may be consequences for posting political views on the platform. Expressing your political views on personal social media platforms like Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc. is still a risk, a higher risk if you hold a sensitive public position. For example, law enforcement officers, firefighters, other first responders, or government employees are regulated in terms of what they can go public with in terms of their political beliefs. It’s generally best to keep your social media accounts private so that your employers can’t monitor any political posts that they might take issue with.

So, before you decide to enter the political support arena, be aware of any rules that govern your activity within your organization or your professional field. While every election is important to discuss, the workplace is not an appropriate venue for those conversations. It’s advisable to keep political discussions separate from your professional work environment to maintain positive working relationships, and to ensure you keep your job.