3 Ways To Manage A Divided Workplace Post-Election

This election season feels like one of the most divisive in recent memory, with the world waiting with bated breath to find out who the United States’ next president will be. The mudslinging this election seems to have reached monumental lows, with this election season feeling particularly polarized. Over the last two decades, social media has become a powerful tool to galvanize voters and influence elections. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center study , over half of Americans get their news from social media. But with the rise of social media, there has also been an increase in disinformation , misinformation and propaganda this election season.

Politics was once considered a pink elephant in the workplace—a topic, like religion and race, that people tended to stay away from discussing. Social media has made it much easier to share opinions about politics, often to the chagrin of our colleagues and coworkers. With the increased sharing of political viewpoints and opinions online, conflict is unavoidable. There is an increased chance of alienating those in the workplace who hold diverging views from us. What is the best way to manage the post-election conflict that is inevitable during a time when things feel so contentious?

Press pause. In anticipation of the results of the election, organizational leaders should consider pausing important meetings, projects and assignments. The week of the election and likely for the next several weeks and months afterwards, employees will be preoccupied. Managers should give exorbitant amounts of grace and flexibility during the weeks and months after the election. Expectations should be managed; it’s crucial to understand that the election, combined with the upcoming series of holidays on the horizon, means that employees are more distracted than ever—consider how to adjust employee workloads to account for this. Pausing important projects, meetings and assignments during the week of the election can lessen the likelihood of employees feeling stressed and overwhelmed, which according to a research , can increase the likelihood of workplace conflict.

Space to process. Many employees are going to feel defeated and deflated. Even if the candidates they are vying for win, the build-up leading to the election has everyone feeling anxious and exhausted. It’s vital to provide space for employees to process the election results. This could look like opening a discussion about how employees are feeling at the beginning of a meeting, sending out a survey to better understand employee sentiments, or creating a dedicated space for employees to pop in and share what they’re feeling. Things won’t be business as usual and pretending that they are will incense your employees.

Consult with experts. Allowing employees the space to process the election results and opening conversations about how employees are feeling could lead to disputes, disagreements and discord, especially if there are employees with vastly different political views. Tensions are likely to be high so it’s essential to lean on the expertise of different professionals like mediators, DEI consultants, and those who specialize in navigating workplace conflict. Ensure that your human resource department and internal DEI leaders have the tools needed to address, navigate and mitigate the workplace conflict that is bound to arise in the post-election season.

This article was originally published in Forbes.

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