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Political Beliefs in the Workplace

Westminster has been in relative turmoil over the last few months; no doubt, political conversations have crept into the workplace. Rightly so, everyone has their own opinions and freedom of speech; however, this can generate conflict and potentially create a hostile workplace atmosphere. So how do employers tackle political beliefs in the workplace?

Firstly, it is worth noting the words of Dr Wilson Wong, head of insight and futures at the CIPD:

“If you don’t let staff talk freely you are not allowing them to exercise quite serious and adult rights. If you define the boundaries of free speech and don’t allow employees to learn where those boundaries are, you are signalling that you want a paternal relationship with your staff….What kind of organisation are you? If the organisation wants a mature, adult relationship with its staff, apart from some ground rules (around stuff like fascism and racism), the rest of it has to be negotiated.”

When discussing the topic of political beliefs, it is good to keep the organisation’s culture and reputation in mind.

Be Proactive

Ideally, employers want to be ahead of the curve before any issues arise. At the basic end of the scale, we suggest creating and developing – in consultation with staff – a code of conduct/ethics]. This living document will help to establish a standard of behaviour expected organisation-wide. Employers could include points such as: staff must demonstrate respect for other colleagues’ views and opinions and be tolerant of each other even when there is no agreement. You need to ensure the code of conduct/ethics is championed at all levels and kept at the forefront of employees’ minds for this method to be truly effective.

Depending on the design and execution of a code of conduct/ethics, it can lead to what Dr Wong suggested as a paternal relationship with staff. So how else can employers be proactive?

If employers haven’t already, create a company culture and values. Values could include respect, professionalism, honesty, teamwork and tolerance. Once a culture is in place, aim to embed it in current and new staff. Champion the values at the recruitment stage in interview questions, review values at one-to-ones and appraisals, and add them to policies and procedures; why not even reward staff who best champion and meet the values? If this method is implemented, there will be a clear line that employees shouldn’t cross, and if they do, there are clear consequences.

When creating values and company culture, do so in conjunction with staff; by doing so, the take-up and displaying of desired qualities should be greater than if not. 

Manage Conflict

While the organisation may already have mechanisms in place to proactively tackle political conversations, no doubt occasions will arise where further action is needed. The CIPD produced a guide to dealing with bullying and workplace conflict. It provided valuable tips for all employers:

  • Be aware of team relationships. Tension can arise in any team, so be alert to any signs that serious conflict is developing. Many disputes start as mild disagreements which appear to be resolved or forgotten straight away. However, just because a disagreement isn’t visible doesn’t mean it’s been resolved.
  • Be confident to immediately challenge any hint of inappropriate behaviour (for example, a sexist remark or personal insult). This will send a clear message to your team that unfair treatment, like bullying, is not tolerated.
  • Have regular one-to-ones and try to create an environment in which people feel comfortable discussing their concerns. Find ways to have informal conversations to pick up on any issues that are beginning to fester beneath the surface.
  • Make sure you intervene and talk to the individuals concerned about what’s happening and what the real source of the disagreement is. Often there are other underlying issues at play.

While reviewing the topic of political beliefs in the workplace, it is essential to consider how the Equality Act 2010 applies to the situation.

Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act (EqA) provides protection to all members of staff regarding age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. You will notice that political views are not within that list – does that mean employers or colleagues can’t discriminate, whether indirectly, directly, harass or bully – an employee for their political leaning?

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the case against Grainger plc and others v Nicholson [2009] gave guidance on what amounts to a philosophical belief for the purposes of the EqA. The belief must be genuinely held, must have a similar status or cogency to a religious belief and must be more than an opinion or viewpoint. Support of a political party cannot, itself, amount to a philosophical belief but belief in a political philosophy might qualify.

Protections under the EqA are day-one rights, so it is important that employers keep on top of conflicts within the workplace and resolve them as soon as possible.

If you need any help creating a code of conduct/ethics or managing conflict, feel free to contact a member of the View HR team for more information and support.