MANAGING POLITICAL STATEMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Whether on a mask or a T-Shirt, political statements of any kind are not welcome in a professional setting, even if you think everyone agrees. 
    Allowing employees to wear political statements involves many pitfalls for the business. 

Realities to consider:

• Never assume you know where people stand on any issue. People often hide their thoughts on hot button issues at work, honestly, it's a great practice for everyone's sake. But you cannot assume that your employees agree with you, and they shouldn't feel pressured one way or another. You don't want to learn from a lawsuit that your assumption is wrong.

• If you allow one political statement you must allow them all. (Yes, even hate symbols.) What feels comfortable for you may not feel comfortable for everyone. If you allow a BLM mask you would also have to allow a KKK mask. It's that simple. When you enforce the policy and explain why, your staff will usually understand.

• There are other ways to engage socially conscious employees. It is becoming more and more important for brands to "be on the right side of history." Ask passionate employees to help you craft a public statement for all your social media channels. This action shows the employee you care, and supports issues aligned with your brand, while still not allowing political statements on personal items. 

• Not enforcing this policy can impact the customers’ experience, employee morale, and your bottom line. We are in the middle of a pandemic and an election year, we don't need any more drama.

  • Best case scenario: everyone agrees on politics and they spend a lot of time chatting about the latest development instead of focusing on work.

  • Worst case scenario: you create a hostile work environment, alienating employees, damaging your customers' experience, shrinking sales, and the bottom line.