U.S. election showcases political divide in society
By Brian Kreissl
Thankfully, the American election is finally over. It never ceases to amaze me just how long election campaigns are in the United States, and I think many people around the world were actually getting a little tired of hearing about the U.S. election.
Nevertheless, many people outside the United States — myself included — were more than a little concerned about the outcome of the election and the potential impact to the global economy, geopolitics and our relationship with our friends and neighbours to the south.
Indeed, this was a particularly nasty and bitter election that divided the country. The levels of vitriol, anger and incivility sank to a new low.
As I finish writing this post on the morning of election day, I am unsure who will end up winning. But no matter who wins, he or she is going to have to deal with a deeply divided country where one-half of the country thinks the other half consists of uneducated bigots, rednecks and simpletons, and those people in turn believe the other half consists of sellouts and elitists who support a corrupt leader who represents the status quo. I fear this won’t end well, regardless of the outcome.
There is no doubt elections in Canada are getting more contentious as well. Part of that relates to the proliferation of U.S.-style attack ads, but we are also seeing increased politicization of the media, people isolating themselves from alternate worldviews, more political articles, videos and memes posted on social media, increased hostility and incivility towards those with differing viewpoints and increased polarization of the different parties.
We’re also seeing more people distrusting politicians of all political stripes as well as the democratic process itself. The feeling is that no matter which party wins, all politicians are in it for themselves and represent the interests of big business, big government and big unions, and ordinary people are left out in the cold. Because of those feelings, many people believe voting is a waste of time.
I can actually sympathize with those types of feelings. It often feels like no one party really speaks for me and my interests, and my life changes little (if at all) as the result of a change in government. Yet, I still vote and find it difficult to see how we could create a better system.
Political leanings of HR professionals
I have often pondered which way the majority of HR practitioners lean politically. Rank-and-file employees and those who work in unionized environments might think HR practitioners are quite conservative and usually represent the interests of employers. However, many senior business leaders and social conservatives might see the HR profession as being quite left wing by supporting “politically correct” issues and causes — for example, those surrounding diversity and inclusion.
I personally believe that being attacked by both sides generally means HR is doing its job well and is able to act impartially. I also think HR can often be categorized as fiscally conservative but socially liberal.
Dealing with politics in the workplace
When it comes to politics in the workplace, however, HR needs to be impartial and may have a role to play in keeping the peace.
While people are entitled to their own opinions, and it is important to allow for at least some freedom of speech in the workplace, the following tips and strategies can be helpful in dealing with politics in the workplace and developing appropriate policies where necessary:
- Allow for political discussions and debates in the workplace, as long as they remain civil and tolerant and are not conducted in front of customers or members of the public.
- Unless the organization is a political one, ensure everyone who speaks on behalf of the organization refrains from getting involved in partisan politics or endorsing any political party or candidate.
- Consider banning stickers, signs, T-shirts and logos of a political nature.
- Ensure employees aren’t discriminated against based on their political views. This is actually enshrined in the human rights legislation of a handful of jurisdictions.
- Provide training to managers in dealing with political discussions and other contentious issues among employees. Encourage managers to diffuse situations with comments about respecting differing viewpoints and the contentiousness of elections.
- Develop respectful workplace policies and ensure those policies require employees to treat others with dignity and respect and allow for differences of opinion.
