Avoid Talking Politics at Work

Many people are passionate about politics and about their political positions. While this is good because civic-mindedness generally benefits our society, it is also problematic and can cause conflict. Thus, many people choose to avoid talking about politics entirely when at work or in public. Although this may seem difficult at times, by redirecting a conversation, preventing your involvement in political discussion, or managing a conversation, you’ll be better able to avoid talking politics at work.

Steps

Preventing a Discussion

1. Establish your reputation. Make sure people at work know that you’re not someone who will talk about politics. By doing this, you’ll minimize the chance of people purposefully including you in a conversation about politics.
   • Don’t entertain conversation about politics.
   • Never share your political affiliation or thoughts on politics. The instant you divulge this information, people may think you’re open to political conversation.
   • Display a humorous sticker or sign near your office that says something like “No Politics Here” or something similar.
2. Decline the discussion. The simplest way to avoid talking about politics is to simply decline inclusion in any conversation about it. By declining to participate, you’ll avoid the possibility of getting caught in a controversial discussion that could cause you problems in the future.
   • When the subject of politics comes up, simply say “While this sounds interesting, I don’t talk about politics publicly.”
   • After you’ve declined, make a comment that smooths your departure from the discussion and eases everyone’s feelings. For instance, say “You guys are great! When the conversation comes back to the sports, let me know.”
   • If someone ever insists that you participate, politely decline and excuse yourself. Say “Thank you, but no thanks. See you later!”
3. Stay away from certain people. Perhaps the best way to avoid discussion of politics is to just stay away from people who may engage in discussion about it. By steering clear of these people, you’ll greatly minimize discussions that you may become a part of.
   • Avoid socializing or talking about your personal life with anyone who constantly talks about politics. If you don’t, chances are they’ll try to involve you in one of their discussions at some point.
   • Steer clear of people who talk about politics during election time. This might be as easy as avoiding the break room or walking a longer route to the parking lot to stay away from a part of the office.
   • Keep your distance from people who are vocal about sharing drastically different political viewpoints than your own. These people may say things to get a rise out of you, and to provoke you into debate over an issue you feel strongly about.

Redirecting a Conversation

1. Make a joke. A simple way to redirect a conversation away from politics is by making a joke that is completely apolitical. By making a joke, you’ll make it easier to change the conversation and lighten the mood.
   • Consider joking about a well-known topic of popular culture, like the New England Patriot’s Deflategate. For example, say something like "You know, I'd rather vote for Tom Brady than either of the candidates."
   • Craft your joke so it’s not offensive and does not involve any other taboo conversation subjects, like race, ethnicity, or religion.
   • Think about making a humorous comment about an experience of your own.
2. Refocus the conversation on a related topic. During a conversation about politics, you’ll likely find the opportunity to subtly change the topic of conversation. By changing the topic of conversation, you’ll be able to avoid directly talking about politics.
   • Change the conversation based on a related fact. For example, if someone is talking about a candidate from Iowa, share your experience about traveling through the state. Consider talking about how you visited the giant ball of yarn or the baseball field depicted in Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams.
   • Redirect the conversation based on timing. For instance, if an election is coming up try to change the topic of the conversation to what you’re doing on election night or the weekend before the election. You might just find that other people will be more interested in talking about recreational activities than politics.
3. Avoid forcing a conversation change. Sometimes your redirecting may not work. When this happens, you want to withdraw from the conversation so you don’t appear as if you’re trying to force a change in discussion.
   • Time any redirect appropriate. Make sure there is a smooth natural transition in the conversation before trying. For instance, wait until someone has spoken and there is a pause in the conversation.
   • Never interrupt someone or cut them off when they are about to speak.
   • Don’t change the topic of conversation to something completely about yourself. Your coworkers may think you’re self-obsessed.

Managing a Conversation

1. Be sensitive to inflammatory comments. An important element of managing any office conversation is to be aware when people make insensitive, hateful, or inflammatory comments when talking about politics. Simply being present might attach you to those comments.
   • Never engage or debate someone about an inflammatory or controversial topic. Instead, shut the conversation down. Say something like “I think we should end this conversation”
   • Don’t be afraid to let the person know their comments are inappropriate. Say something like “Hey John, you’re insulting some people we actually work with.”
   • Speak to human resources or management if a person shares hate speech at work. Let them know you are concerned about these comments and how they may offend others in the office.
2. Stay level-headed. One of the biggest dangers of talking politics at work is allowing yourself to get passionate or emotional during a conversation. Thus, you always need to make sure you stay calm and rational.
   • Always avoid discussing things you feel passionate about – your passions may get the better of you and draw you into a larger conversation.
   • If someone interjects political comment into regular conversation, don’t take the bait. Be strong and excuse yourself from the conversation. Say something like: “Excuse me, Sonya, I have some copies to run off before lunch.”
   • Always think before responding to someone. A good tactic is to count to ten before responding to anything that you feel strongly about.
   • Focus on your goal to avoid discussion of politics. Constantly remind yourself – and others – of your position by letting them know you don’t talk politics in public.
3. Be polite and nonconfrontational. If you’ve found yourself trapped in a conversation about politics, you’ll need to carefully negotiate your way out of it. While you’re finding a way to redirect the conversation, you need to make sure you are polite and nonconfrontational.
   • Keep your comments short and noncommittal. This works well if you’re in a conversation that includes a group of people.
   • Maintain positive body language. Make sure you smile. In addition, keep a loose and relaxed posture. Avoid crossing your arms and taking a defensive posture.
   • If you for some reason do find yourself answering or rebutting someone’s comments, be polite. Lead with a comment like “I think that’s a valid position, but I disagree” – then explain why you disagree.
   • Never resort to insults or personal attacks. Keep the conversation as theoretical and impersonal as possible.

References

See also

• Avoid Blowing Up at Your Workplace Team
• Handle Conflict from a Human Resources Standpoint
• Avoid Office Pitfalls
• Work for Someone With Anger Management Issues
• Fix a Toxic Workplace
• Manage Conflict at Work Place
• Deal with Violence in the Workplace
• Build Bridges With a Co Worker You Don't Like
• Avoid Back Office Politics
• Deal With a Bullying Boss

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