The hot-button issues of politics can lead to inflamed tempers that can impede your productivity—and possibly, your progress.
Along with sex, money, and religion, politics is one of the most controversial topics of conversation that exists. Money, more than sex, is the most personal aspect of our lives, and it is the one that opens us up to the greatest potential for embarrassment. Sex, too, is still an off-limits topic for discussion at work and not merely for the legal reasons relating to sexual harassment. Neither your salary nor your sex life is anyone's business at the office. Nor, for most professional settings, are your religious beliefs.
In considering whether it is appropriate to have political discussions on the job, five fundamental ethical principles are at stake: Do No Harm ; Make Things Better; Respect Others; Be Fair; Be Loving.
Simply put, we shouldn't discuss politics in the workplace because, with very few exceptions, these discussions have nothing to do with our job and can only interfere with it. Bottom line: the very real and important need for lively, informed, and vigorous debate is best met before and after one goes to work. Everyone in the body politic will be better off if this rule is treated with the respect it deserves.
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