Leaving Politics at the Office Door (and off LinkedIn)

Where is the line between professional and personal?? Between work and politics?? If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that trying to completely separate our work life from our home life often doesn’t work. When one is not working well, the other tends to struggle. In many ways, this is a good thing, as we’ve learned that a flexible work environment can improve both the quality of work and the personal lives of many people. I also love knowing more about people’s lives and getting to know the whole person. It helps me understand them better and ultimately be more empathetic to whatever is happening with them.?

This blurring of life and work does have a potential downside, however; a downside I fear may be exposed by the recent decision by the Supreme Court in overturning Roe v. Wade, eliminating a federally enforced right to terminate a pregnancy up to a certain point in the pregnancy. For some, it is the culmination of decades of work to right a wrong. For many others, it is the destruction of a right fundamental to them as a woman in a free society.?

I bring the discussion up because as I pulled up LinkedIn following the court’s decision, I found overtly political – and very personal – discourse. The quantity of it shocked me and made me a bit nervous for the platform and the pressures on many of us leaders.??

To start with, one of my favorite things about LinkedIn is its professional focus. I enjoy the industry-specific news, catching up with old work colleagues, and finding inspiration about leadership and other work-related topics.? I also like that it serves as a bit of a refuge from much of the divisiveness of the day. I cheer silently when in response to a political post, people often comment “This does not belong on LinkedIn. Please move the conversation to Facebook.”? I confess I have written a few of those myself. Thus, I was dismayed this weekend to find LinkedIn flooded with very political and very personal discussions. For many, it was, “I know this is not supposed to be a political site, but I felt the issue was too important to not say something.”? For many companies, it was an opportunity to take a political stand in support of the views of many employees. I found yet more articles about how CEOs are being forced to take sides.?

I spent much of the past week thinking about how I might handle it.? I figured I would tell you where I stand.???

I believe that my focus as the CEO should be on making GreenPoint the best company it can be and on making it the best place to work for everyone.? I believe that doing that necessarily means leaving divisive politics at the workplace door. I understand reproductive rights are a deeply personal issue for many people and my not taking a public stand may seem like a cop-out. I understand but I believe separation is better for several reasons:?

1. Policy vs politics.? A fellow CEO recently related to me her approach of focussing on the policies that impact her business rather than the politics behind them. The politics may change but the policies that benefit our country and our customers don’t.? Stick to those.?
2. Good fences make good neighbors. As mentioned above, the line between work and home, between personal and professional, has blurred with COVID.? But the more controversial the topic, the more divisive the issue, the more important it is to set clear expectations and bright lines.? Good fences make good neighbors, as my grandmother used to say.?
3. Venue matters.? We had a brutally tough issue arise at work a few weeks back.? It has consumed my thoughts for the past few weeks and thus last week’s post was deeply personal.? Thankfully, my gut told me to check with a few people regarding their thoughts.? The responses were universal — LinkedIn was likely not the right forum for the post.? “Venue matters” as one rightfully said.? It doesn’t mean my feelings were wrong or were not important; it just meant LinkedIn wasn’t the best forum to share them..??
4. Diversity matters…including diversity of thought.? We are stronger for our diversity as a country and as companies.? We’ve made progress though we have a long way to go.? But when talking about diversity, we need to include diversity of thought. We’re a large business and we have a lot of people on both sides of many issues.? If 90% of the people you work with believe as you do, there are still over 100 people in our company who don’t.? I would also be cautious assuming everyone you know agrees with you, particularly on this topic.???
5. Our success depends on everyone. Everyone is at our company for a reason. We need everyone working together to help us be successful.? We will not succeed if we’re screaming loudly or seething quietly at our co-workers. Such discord ultimately threatens the economic well-being of all of us.

All this does not mean avoiding politics. Far from it.? I love politics and will talk with anyone about them.? And this particular issue is one I care deeply about. I have been involved for a number of years and plan to stay involved going forward, but I will do that as an individual and on my own personal time with my own personal money.??

Here are my suggestions for managing through these divisive times at work.?

1. ? ?Acknowledge this is a deeply personal issue for a lot of people. Many people are incredibly upset right now. Please have some grace for them if all is not well.?

2.? ? Take a deep breath or ten as you get out of your car and head into work. Remind yourself you are changing settings. If you’re working remotely, get dressed up and try to pause for a few minutes before you sit down at your desk.? Maybe “commute” with a 10-minute walk around the block and then come back in and start the day.? The key is to recognize that your work setting requires a different approach and is subject to different rules.?

3.? ? Focus on your mission. Every company serves a purpose, otherwise people wouldn’t pay it any money.? Focus on that.? Thankfully, this is easy at GreenPoint as our mission is one of the most important missions there is – to help our farmers grow the life-sustaining food, fiber, and fuel the world needs to live.? That is bigger than any one of us. We can’t do that if we’re divided and bitter over politics.???

4.? ? If the topic comes up, focus on policy not politics. There are lots of ways to talk about controversial issues if you’re focused on trying to solve a problem as opposed to fighting over who is right. Remind yourself that everyone is typically trying to solve the same problem but just coming at it from a different ange.? And if the topic turns personal or political, it is OK to end it politely.?

I am certainly open to discussion about whether this is the right decision or not. I love the comments and feedback. I also love politics and will debate them with anyone who wants to do so respectfully...after work and on a different platform. ?? While at work, I am going to do my best to focus on our mission of helping our growers and co-ops succeed. I plan to focus on making this the very safest and best place to work in our industry. I don’t believe I can do either effectively by spending energy at work taking a public stance on this or any of the divisive issues of the day.????

Onward!?

Jeff ?