How to smooth over political bickering at work

Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your human resources questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR professional society and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”
Have a question? Submit it here.
Question: I manage a small business of 13 employees. We’ve seen increasing tension leading up to the recent presidential election. I thought it would subside once the election was over, but there’s still resentment and discord among employees on opposing sides. Should we ban political talk at work? Can we turn down some of the office tension? – Meena
Answer: You aren’t alone. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. employers are concerned about managing divisive political beliefs. Navigating political conversations in the workplace can indeed be challenging, especially in a small business setting where everyone interacts closely. Outright banning political talk has proven unrealistic and difficult to enforce, even for small companies.
Workplace boundaries:How do I begin supervising former co-workers and friends? Ask HR
Here are some strategies to help reduce tension and foster a more harmonious work environment:
◾ Acknowledge the reality. It’s essential to recognize that political issues are deeply personal and can evoke strong emotions. Elections aren’t games or friendly competitions. They’re consequential to people’s lives and their beliefs. The issues people value and consider in voting are very personal to them, so what one employee might consider a harmless remark can be received as a personal affront by another.
◾ Encourage cooling-off periods. While I don’t recommend banning political conversations at work, a temporary pause can help. Advise employees to give each other space and time to process their feelings after an election. Make it clear that they have a right to self-expression, but right now is too soon. Allow some time to bring down the temperature, whether their candidate won or lost.
◾ Promote respect and empathy. Encourage employees to respect each other’s political views, even if they disagree. First, remind them how democracy works, by allowing everyone a voice and respecting the outcome of elections. Someone will win, someone will lose, and we must be willing to accept the wishes of the entire electorate. Secondly, it’s not forever. The person’s elected for four years, right? So, continued fighting doesn’t serve anyone. There will be another election four years from now. Have some empathy for the other side. Encourage employees to think about what they would feel if the outcomes were reversed.
◾ Foster a culture of inclusion. Emphasize your workplace’s value of diversity, including diversity of political thought. If our workplace cultures are going to embrace diversity, we must embrace the full spectrum, not just the elements we align with. So, in addition to race, gender, nation of origin, or age, we must embrace diversity of political perspective and political affiliation –meaning your employees have a right to vote for whomever they want to vote for. We must respect their vote, and it’s critical to operate with dignity and respect and embrace our differences.
I’ll add this: Remind employees to be mindful of your social media policy if you have one. Most employers consider employees to be representatives of their brand, whether on the clock or not. So, keeping quiet at work but being loud on social media during your time off might also backfire.
Promoting respect, empathy, and a culture of inclusion can help reduce political tension in the workplace and create a more positive and productive environment for everyone. Remember, it’s inevitable that we’re going to disagree at times; it’s how we go about it that matters.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
Multiple jobs:Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR