Voting and Work: Do You Understand the Relationship?

Voting and Work: Do You Understand the Relationship?

VOTE WITH YOUR FEET: Many years ago, I was vacationing in the Caribbean in a country with a wobbly reputation for democracy. On a cab ride from the airport to our lodge, we peppered the cab driver with questions about their ongoing election battles. He held forth on his opinions and then spoke of how challenged his father had been in trying to vote twenty years before. “He wasn’t allowed to vote”, our driver asserted, “but he did anyway, and they cut off his feet!”

VOTING AND WORKPLACE ISSUES: If you still haven’t voted – or don’t plan to – you may be blasé about the relationship between your work and your vote. Make no mistake: whether you are a leader or a staff associate, politics plays an important part of your working life. Healthcare, family leave, economics, pay parity, retirement accounts, health and safety regulations, wage and hour rules, discrimination, harassment, and so on may all be up for grabs at the ballot box. No matter what side you are on related to these issues, you need to vote to have an impact on the relevant policy.

POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS AT WORK? Unless you have been on a news diet, you know that we may be waiting for the election results long after November 3. Even if you have managed to steer clear of political discussions at work (or over Zoom), you may feel compelled to enter the fray as the battle rages on. In most workplaces, be cautious. Contrary to popular belief, you probably don’t have much in the way of First Amendment rights at work, since the First Amendment applies to government action, not that of private employers. Most organizations can set boundaries on behavior at work, including speech, unless it is directly related to topics such as safety, organizing activity and the like.

What Should You Do?

VOTE: The quality of your work life depends upon it.

PRACTICE RESPECT: Especially if you are a leader, make sure that you respect the election process (however long that drags on), and that you honor the result, even if you disagree. Otherwise, if you express your political beliefs and they differ from some of your staff, the implication that you are not fair when you are evaluating those you lead may be a real issue.

FIND APROPRIATE OUTLETS FOR YOUR HORROR: No matter who wins the various positions and ballot initiatives in this election, a significant percentage of the population will be disappointed. Express your views with your family, friends, social acquaintances, or at political events outside of work but leave your lectures at the virtual or actual door of your workplace. You are unlikely to gain any improvement in your working relationship with your colleagues and you could find that you lose a great deal.

What Do You Think?

How will voting and politics affect your work? Contact us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com