Election 2024: Keeping Workplace Civility Front and Center

Every election season seems to follow a familiar pattern: the word “civility” makes its rounds in HR circles, as predictable as pumpkin spice lattes in the fall.

As the election looms closer, there’s an undercurrent of concern among HR professionals, managers, and employees alike. The fear? That the heated political climate will spill over into the workplace, causing a spike in uncivil behavior that threatens the fragile peace we’ve managed to maintain. Remember the last big event that divided the nation? We’d just gotten past it! Can’t we just enjoy our coffee in peace?

?The Real Cost of Incivility

Civility isn’t just about being nice—it’s a business necessity. The numbers are staggering: according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), incivility costs employers around $2 billion a day in lost productivity and absenteeism.?

Why? It’s simple. Employees don’t want to work in a hostile environment. When political tensions cause friction at work, people tend to avoid the source of stress—or avoid work altogether.

SHRM’s data reveals that each incident of incivility leads to about 31 minutes of lost productivity. That might not sound like much, but when you multiply it across an entire workforce, it adds up quickly. Anyone who’s been on the receiving end of a rude comment or witnessed a coworker’s bad behavior knows how distracting it can be. The emotions, the overthinking, the lingering resentment—it all takes a toll.

?Is Bullying the Same as Incivility?

While not all uncivil behavior is legally classified as bullying or harassment, it’s important to remember that the law sets the minimum standard—not the maximum. Private employers have the flexibility to define and prohibit behavior that doesn’t align with their workplace culture, as long as it complies with other legal requirements like those under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

From a business perspective, incivility leads to absenteeism, distraction, and coworker resentment—all of which are bad for business. Even worse, minor issues can escalate, leading to a breakdown in teamwork, trust, and eventually, higher turnover.

?Practical Steps to Foster Civility

There’s plenty of advice on how to maintain civility in the workplace, especially around elections, and much of it centers on policies and training. And for good reason—every employer should have clear policies that set the standard for behavior and communicate those expectations through effective training.

Here are a few key policies to consider:

• Code of Conduct: Lay out your organization’s core values and expectations in concrete terms that employees can relate to their daily work.
• Harassment and Discrimination: Ensure your policies are clear, with a robust reporting mechanism, to maintain a discrimination-free and harassment-free workplace. Remember, unchecked incivility can sometimes escalate into harassment or discrimination.
• Attire and Appearance: While you can set standards for workwear, be cautious when it comes to banning political gear. Define “political” clearly, and be prepared to handle gray areas with care.? And remember you can always ban inappropriate attire with foul words or images (also can be visual harassment btw).
• Social Media: Craft social media policies that respect employees’ lives outside of work, while reminding them that company policies on harassment and discrimination apply online too.

A Word of Caution

Don’t go overboard with your policies. Overly broad rules can run afoul of the NLRA, which protects employees’ rights to work together to improve their workplace. To stay on the right side of the law, tie your definitions of unacceptable behavior back to your anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.

?Going Beyond Policies

Policies and training are essential, but there’s more you can do to maintain a civil workplace. Stay connected with your employees—don’t just wait for them to come to you with problems. Be proactive in observing the workplace dynamic and addressing issues before they escalate.

And remember, it’s not realistic to expect that everyone will get along all the time. I always say, “you can’t make everyone happy; you’re not a taco.” Focus on fostering respect and productivity, and let go of the idea that the workplace needs to be a perfect utopia—especially during an election season.

Now go out and vote!

-L

LeiLani E. Quiray is the Founder and CEO of be the change HR , Inc., certified Minority and Woman owned, a conscious company and social enterprise, providing HR support for small-to-medium sized businesses in any facet of HR from pre-hire to post-term and everything else that happens in between. She and her team also teach free job readiness courses and provide free coaching to trafficking survivors.? Her team is not only HR Pros, they are Life Changers.?

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