Remote Work's Effect on Political Discussions in the Office
With the U.S. presidential election just weeks away, political discussion is a trending topic for many Americans. Political discussion is increasingly prevalent among colleagues in the workplace. The research firm Gartner conducted a study where they found that 78% of people talk about politics at work, and 47% of people say the 2020 presidential election has impacted their ability to complete tasks at work. Experts have claimed that companies should find a way to encourage respectful political dialogue, rather than discourage all political conversation. Though companies may want to avoid encouraging discussion on controversial topics at work, often statements from management that seek to limit political speech can backfire. For example, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong faced severe backlash after he published a blog post in which he discouraged employee activism and discussing political and social issues at work. After the post 5% of Coinbase's employees left the company.
See "Remote Work's Effect on Political Discussions in the Office", Jennifer Liu, CNBC News , October 21, 2020