New research from Brightmine finds that workplace political conflict is intensifying: nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. employees have witnessed or experienced a political disagreement at work in the past year, and 27% report being distracted from their jobs by the political environment.
This rising tension, coupled with a lack of clear policies (47% of workplaces have none), presents a clear risk to culture and business performance.
Amanda Czepiel, JD, U.S. Country Manager and Head of Content at Brightmine, offers a direct mandate for HR leaders:
The solution to mitigating this distraction and risk is not to ignore politics, but to build a principled framework. HR professionals must lead the creation of policies that are clear, values-based, and legally compliant to protect not only their workforce, but also their organization’s bottom line.