How Politics Affects Working Culture

In my new book Detox Your Culture (available here) I explain how the political and social conditions within one’s own country affect the day-to-day working environment of all organisations. Given the recent inauguration of President Trump and the decisions already made, it’s worth revisiting the topic to help leaders and managers understand the implications that political decisions can have.

It’s worth stating that even though the headlines are currently being driven from the US, political decisions that affect working conditions are being made in almost every country, every day of the week.

The ones that generate the biggest headlines are usually those aligned to tax laws, both personal and business. In election years, politicians often specialise in offering the electorate (and/or business) more money in one shape or another in order to secure their vote.?

However, in the last 10 years or so — and as working culture has become more important — these promises and implemented legislation have also included specific elements of working culture in a way that we haven’t seen before.?

We’ve seen everything from equity of pay, the rights of under-represented people, number of days people have to work, to their place of work, the technologies they will use and the behaviours they should/shouldn't have to deal with on the political agenda.?

Here are some recent examples of political policy decisions that have affected/will affect working cultures:

UK: ‘Turbocharging’ AI adoption

Brazil: Employers must prioritise their employees’ mental well-being

Belgium: Right to request a four-day week

Japan: New law to prevent ‘Power Harassment’

US: Federal employees must return to the office full-time

New Zealand: High-income workers lose unjustified dismissal claim rights?

As the electorate, we drive these changes, swayed by the economic conditions we are currently experiencing, the movements we choose to be part of and the media stories (social and traditional) we choose to engage with.

These three factors have existed for thousands of years and can be traced back to the Roman era and earlier.

Here’s a simple (hopefully!) diagram that shows how the electorate affects the working conditions for all.

The best example of recent years is, of course, the move to allow employees greater flexibility of working location.

The technology to enable greater flexibility has been available for decades. Indeed, I successfully worked from home in the early 2000s! What prevented this flexibility from becoming standard was management opinion (e.g. ‘Workers are only productive in the office’) or the interpersonal or technical skills to make it possible (e.g. ‘We are not able to manage people if we can’t see them’).

Then in 2020, as a result of the COVID pandemic, office workers were forced to work from home and flexible working for a minority of workers* was unlocked.?

Some organisations rushed to declare that they were virtual (with swathes of staff now working from home) for good. This was a good marketing and recruitment strategy. It said ‘we’re moving with the times’ and ‘we’re not held back by our borders’. But, it was also a very good way of saving money, which is good for business.

Almost overnight, employers saved on lighting, heating, floorspace, electricity and so on without increasing the pay of employees who now bore all of these costs. Some even downsized their office space during the pandemic to ensure that all employees couldn’t come back to the office, even if they wanted to.

Employees, for their part, embraced the extra flexibility they now had and in many cases (parents and carers especially) had been requesting for years. They also absorbed the financial costs for working from home (energy, furniture and internet) as well as reductions in the cost and time spent commuting and childcare costs for parents.?

Given that this is the first time we have ever done this, there have been many unintended consequences. Whilst almost half of employees who have extra flexibility now say this is a good thing, they also say that they feel less connected to colleagues (67%), are taking less exercise (46%), have developed musculoskeletal problems (39%) and disturbed sleep (37%).

President Trump (and other leaders have/will follow suit) has now removed the ability for federal employees to work from home.

Leaders in government departments (and public service managers generally) are usually the most directly impacted by government policy and in many ways have little choice but to ‘follow orders’. There are still shining lights within these organisations, however, who understand the need for flexibility in policy adoption and who find ways to maintain a vibrant culture despite government policy edicts.

Leaders of private businesses, on the other hand, have a choice. They can choose to immediately ‘cosy up’ to political leaders or take time (usually 3-9 months) to understand the social and governmental shifts and then choose what’s best for their people, their culture — and therefore their business — and take practical steps to implement those changes in the right way.

Of course, this is just one example, which focuses on office-based policy changes. However, other industries have also been affected too. Past examples include:

Manufacturing:

• Regulations on workplace safety, including machine guarding requirements and exposure limits to hazardous materials
• Minimum wage laws affecting factory worker compensation
• Trade policies impacting manufacturing jobs and working conditions
• Green manufacturing requirements affecting production processes.

Healthcare:

• Maximum working hours for medical residents
• Nurse-to-patient ratio requirements
• COVID-19 vaccination mandates for healthcare workers
• PPE requirements and stockpiling regulations
• Telehealth policy changes affecting care delivery.

Service Industry:

• Break time requirements for retail workers
• Scheduling notification laws requiring advance notice of work schedules
• Minimum wage regulations affecting hospitality workers
• Workplace violence prevention requirements for late-night retail
• Mask mandates during COVID affecting customer service interactions.

Politics will always affect how we work, because we (the electorate) often demand that it does, however, the reaction to these changes (specifically those that aren’t public health related) and the choices that leaders make needn’t happen overnight.

The best, most vibrant cultures are the ones where leaders do what’s right towards the people that they serve, because they know that it’s not only good for their reputation, it’s also good for business too.

Yet, culture (social and working) will always be driven by the humans who are living it day-to-day. This is why culture matters so much. How we live. How we work. The plans we have for our children. The plans we have for the world. It is always driven by us. Right here, right now. Everything we do makes a difference for the future. Your contribution will be to influence it — positively — in any small way that you can.

It's not about this side or the other, it's about finding commonality and doing what's right by each other. Culture is everyone's responsibility. Don't wait for it to be done to you.

*It's often forgotten that the percentage of people who can work in this way is just 15-20% of the total workforce. But it’s a good media story, which influences the electorate and so on!

My new book ‘Detox Your Culture’ is the essential guide for creating a vibrant working culture and avoiding the conditions where toxicity may arise. Get your copy here.