Presidential Race and Politics - Hot Workplace Topic, Survey Says

Conversations over the nightly news and at dinner tables across America are increasingly focused on the presidential race--but what about conversations around the water cooler? According to Adecco USA's most recent Workplace Insights surveys, 50 percent of American workers do talk politics in the office, while 47 percent listen and keep their political views to themselves (three percent reported that they "don't know"). Among the younger set, however, the percentage increases to 61 percent--a dramatic jump from the 45 percent of Millennials who reported discussing politics at work during the 2004 presidential election (Bush vs. Kerry). Even though half of respondents do talk politics at work, a majority of them (62 percent) report that they do not know who their co-workers are voting for.

The survey also revealed that of those American workers who knew which presidential candidate their boss would be supporting, 39 percent reported this information having impact on their perception of their manager. And, despite sensitivities around talking politics at work, Americans ranked religion, office gossip and personal life as the top three most taboo topics to discuss openly at the office, with politics and money tying for fourth position in this category.

According to the survey, while 48 percent of male workers know their colleagues' political preferences, only 26 percent of women reported knowing who their co-workers would vote for. The majority (59 percent) of Black workers who were surveyed participate in the political dialogue at the office, compared to only 37 percent four years ago.

"Being politically correct at the office means communicating carefully and inclusively when politics is on the agenda," says Bernadette Kenny, Chief Career Officer of Adecco USA. "Although the presidential primaries are a hot topic right now, it's important to leave the more heated debates outside of the workplace in order to keep things professional. We need to be aware that our opinions on key political issues and the candidates can affect how we're viewed at the office by our managers, peers and direct reports, and that impact can last long after the last votes have been tallied."

Reprinted with permission. © CCH

Conversations over the nightly news and at dinner tables across America are increasingly focused on the presidential race.