Co-workers in Conflict: Promoting Well-Being in Divided Times

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election fast approaching, we set out to examine the state of politics-related conflict in the workplace. Are people talking about politics at work? Are those conversations escalating when coworkers disagree? Is political conflict getting in the way of co-worker relationships and team collaboration? 

Navigating diverse perspectives is one of the most difficult challenges for leaders and the teams they manage. Diversity of thought is a superpower for creative problem-solving and innovation. In theory, airing conflicting opinions about the work can spark new ideas that boost performance. When it’s done well, it absolutely does. However, in practice, it can be extremely difficult to separate task-related disagreements from conflict that feels personal, which means conflict at work often has a lasting effect on co-worker relationships. This is especially true when co-workers disagree on strongly held opinions or beliefs, such as political ideologies or events. 

In the last two decades, political polarization has increased dramatically, both in the U.S. and globally. Unfortunately, as political beliefs have become more polarized, politics has become a main driver of stress and contention, leaving organizations underprepared to deal with political discourse at work. Back in 2016, two U.S. election cycles ago, the American Psychological Association reported that one in four adult Americans witnessed and/or participated in political discussions at work, and as a result, felt stressed, more cynical, less motivated, and less productive. 

New research from Perceptyx’s Center for Workforce Transformation shows that almost a decade later, politics continues to be a significant source of friction and conflict at work. Our recent survey of more than 2,300 working adults in the U.S., conducted in August of 2024, found that when asked to look at the past 3 months: 

• 1 in 3 workers has experienced a recent conflict with a coworker that began as a political disagreement, and 
• 1 in 5 have avoided certain people at work because of their political beliefs.

At work, difficult conversations are inevitable. Some personality clashes are also inevitable. With this in mind, it’s unsurprising that about 90% of employees are dealing with some degree of conflict at work. However, politics-related conflict seems to have a particularly negative effect on workers. For instance, four in five employees who have faced recent political conflict at work are actively job-seeking — a figure that makes them 1.6x as likely to quit as other employees. In addition, when compared with workers who have not encountered political conflict, those who have are: 

• 5.6x as likely to say their productivity is impacted by current conflict,
• 4.9x as likely to say their mental health is impacted by current conflict, and
• 3.5x as likely to say their physical health is impacted by current conflict.

Our research is clear: Not only are a significant number of employees talking about politics at work (37%), but many of these conversations lead to serious political disagreements. That outcome is not simply bad when it comes to stress and personal well-being, it can also wreak havoc on co-worker relationships, and, as a result, reduce workplace productivity and collaboration. 

So, What Can Organizations and Leaders Do to Reduce Political Conflict at Work? 

The short answer? Become masters of conflict resolution. 

We found that when an employee feels a conflict has been fully resolved, they are half as likely to plan to quit. Political conflict might have a greater workplace impact than other types of conflict, but the same principles of psychological safety and conflict resolution apply.

To reduce the negative impact of political conflict at work on team dynamics and employee well-being, organizations can:

• Foster psychological safety by prioritizing respectful listening and constructive dialogue. A culture where employees are safe to speak up about work matters without negative consequences sets the stage for healthy conflict management and makes it more likely that employees will feel comfortable respectfully disagreeing with coworkers, even when the matter is personal. 
  
  
• Support managers in developing inclusive leadership skills. Inclusive leadership means demonstrating respect for all employees, valuing their diverse perspectives, and intentionally cultivating belonging. 
  
  
• Encourage senior leaders to demonstrate a clear commitment to an inclusive organizational culture, where all employees are valued and respected, including those who look, think, or behave differently from their co-workers. 

For the longer term, consider political differences as part of your DEIB strategy. 

Looking at politics through a DEIB lens is helpful given that political preferences are often core to employees’ social identity, making political ideology an important diversity characteristic. We found that just three in ten employees believe they share similar political beliefs and attitudes with their direct manager. One in four say they have felt at odds with the political beliefs held by leaders in their organization. Given this political diversity, developing an inclusive culture and growing inclusive leaders is key to reducing political conflict at work.  

In addition, your DEIB strategy should consider that certain employee groups experience politics in the workplace differently, depending on other diversity characteristics. For example, we found notable differences in how employees experience political conflict across generations and by worker type.

• Younger generations are more likely to have experienced bias, prejudice, and/or discrimination in the workplace because of political beliefs (e.g., Gen Z is 1.2x as likely as Millennials, 1.7x as likely as Gen X, and 5x as likely as Baby Boomers). 
  
  
• Desk-bound workers are twice as likely as their deskless counterparts to have experienced a politics-fueled conflict in the past three months.

Perceptyx Can Help You Build a Psychologically Safe and Inclusive Workplace

By utilizing proven inclusion practices, organizations can help insulate themselves from many negative effects of political conflict in the workplace. Listening to employees, and acting on their feedback, signals that it is a psychologically safe place to work, and that diverse political perspectives can be respected. 

To read more, sign up to download a free copy of Divided We Work: The Impact of Workplace Conflict from the Break Room to Zoom Rooms. And to learn more about measuring inclusion, as well as other key workplace factors that impact your employee experience, schedule a meeting with a member of our team.