One-third of us experience political tension in the workplace. What’s the solution?

Job sites are microcosms of American society. Whatever is happening in society — good or bad — is reflected in the way Americans relate to one another on the job. As we approach a strongly contested presidential election, Enhancv conducted a survey of 500 working-age Americans to see how political tensions are translating into interpersonal conflict over hot-button political issues on the job.
The survey found that almost one-third of workers experienced conflict at work due to their political beliefs. Interestingly, workers in the stereotypically mild-mannered Midwest report higher levels of political conflict than those living in the South by 38% to 26%. This suggests “niceness” gives way to conflict more easily than the “manners” for which the South is justifiably famous.
It appears people living in other areas of the country are having a more difficult time getting along with one another in the workplace. As with almost everything concerning politics and culture these days, men and women have strikingly different experiences. More than one-third of men (35%) reported political conflict at work compared to 26% of women. This was especially true for male Republicans, 39% of whom reported political conflict — higher than any other demographic group.
Republican women had the lowest rates of conflict, with 19% reporting on-the-job disagreements over politics. Women were far more likely than men to say that political discussions at work are inappropriate (67% compared to 48%). Partisan affiliation also appears to be a factor in gender differences. Among politically independent women, 72% said it is never appropriate to talk politics at work, while just 44% of Republican men held that view.
The survey also reveals a striking difference in how various generations experience political conflicts at work. For instance, one-third of Gen Z employees say they have lied about their political beliefs to avoid workplace conflict, compared to 17% of all respondents. Among Gen Z workers, 28% report feeling threatened discussing politics at work, compared with 23% of all respondents and 15% of baby boomers. Evidently, there is good reason for these fears, as Gen Z employees are about 10 times more likely than boomers to face disciplinary action for political conflicts at work (15% to 1.5%).
This generational difference is worth dwelling on. An American Enterprise Institute survey on worker attitudes found younger worker characteristics that help explain Gen Z differences relative to their boomer colleagues. In our survey, “code-switching” — closely aligned to Enhancv’s “self-editing” concept — emerged as a major concern. Nearly half of the young men in AEI’s survey said they felt they had to alter their appearance or personality to fit into the workplace. This sentiment was even more pronounced for young women (54%). Among older workers, however, these numbers fall dramatically — with 39% of boomer women reporting code-switching and 32% of boomer men.
To some extent, feelings of self-editing are a natural part of the work lifecycle. Our survey showed that job satisfaction is lowest early in a career, but rises steadily over the lifetime as workers move up in expertise, responsibility and pay. Older workers are more likely to have found their workplace groove, and it is likely that feeling good about their job helps reduce workplace tensions.
It’s also likely that older workers have internalized interpersonal workplace standards. They don’t report self-editing because they have learned from earlier experiences what’s acceptable to discuss at work. In contrast, younger workers, who lack this experience, have different priorities. Our survey found that younger employees value a “welcoming workplace for people like me” even above pay. The only factor they rated more highly was job “flexibility,” which they define as being able to maintain a balanced life.
In short, Gen Z workers want to “be themselves” and feel welcomed at work, bringing their whole identity, including their politics, to the job. However, one of life’s more challenging lessons is that not every aspect of who we are is valuable or reconcilable with the mission of the firms and organizations we work for, which must prioritize the needs of customers, supervisors, owners and shareholders first. It is not that work doesn’t care about your feelings — employers clearly do — but they must also protect the organization’s mission. Sometimes, this means checking political opinions at the workplace door.
Brent Orrell is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute studying vocations, careers and work.