May 04 2009
Talking politics at work. Is it ok
I’ve read several career articles about talking politics at the office and they all come down to the same advice which is: Don’t do it unless you’re sure you agree with the person you’re talking to. What if we agree but I still don’t want to?
Case in point, my boss and I have similar political views but I still find it uncomfortable to discuss politics with him. Even though we agree on specific issues, my philosophy of the overall political environment, as you know if you’ve read any of my other posts, is pretty hands – off. I believe on a fundamental level that people need to be responsible for themselves and that electing leaders to fix things will never work, if you want to maintain any significant level of personal freedom of choice. There is no such thing as utopia in this world, which is a harsh reality to face and most people don’t seem to be able to. We all (I admit to it too!) want a perfect life full of happiness, abundance and sunshine. In the same vein, I do believe that our government works, even if things happen I don’t necessarily agree with – it’s still a majority rule.
So, back to my original point. How do I handle the political conversation at work? Especially with my boss who presents pretty well thought out arguments and kind of has the attitude that he’s omniscient and totally right. Work is a place where I don’t really feel like philosophizing about politics, especially when I’m distracted and with someone who I don’t want to argue with and isn’t very accepting of my off the wall comments. I’m all for feisty conversations about the state of the world out side of work though! I don’t always have to be right in real life. Still, if I was sitting at the bar with my boss, would I want to discuss this? Probably not, just because he’s my boss. I mean, it’s hard enough to get along with co-workers and supervisors when little things like your fashion sense and email manners can make or break you…much less your philosophy of the world! I don’t get paid enough to argue that during 9 to 5!
Come on, how hard can it be? You know your workplace well enough. If people insist on talking politics to you and you don’t want to, how hard can it be to change the subject? If it’s your boss and you share a worldview, what’s the problem? If it’s your boss and you don’t share a worldview, just tell him what you really think and use the occasion to say, well, this is why I try not to talk politics in the workplace, because it hurts collegiality. Usually reasonable people won’t push the point and they’ll think twice about pontificating in front of you. If the other person is using rank to make you listen to his views and doesn’t respond to the “agree to disagree” approach, you may have to visit human resources and ask them to help you resolve a situation that is verging toward workplace harassment.