Every election year workplaces will experience an increase in political discussion amongst employees. Sometimes these discussions can get heated especially where coworkers have differing political views and outlooks. Employers have a real interest in addressing this subject because of the impact on their workers. The American Psychological Association reported that during the 2016 Presidential election, one in four younger employees reported feeling stressed out because of political discussions at work and more than twice as many men as women said political talk is making them less productive. Since then, studies have shown that political polarization has gotten much more pronounced. Just what should and can an employer do to curb political discussion and activity in the workplace? This chapter aims to reveal just that.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution governs free speech rights. However, the First Amendment’s protections apply only to the right of citizens to be free from the government’s censorship of speech. Employees of governmental entities generally are protected by the First Amendment, but governmental entities may impose limitations in order to ensure efficient operations. Private employers may regulate (and even...
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