Politics and work don't mix

Aug 18 2008 by Derek Torres Print This Article

There are days when I think that I should become a journalist. Even though I am sure that I take more than a few liberties here stating the obvious, they get much better paid for doing so!

Take, for example, this recent article, Experts say workplace, politics don't mix.

You don't say! Having worked in several countries, I've seen the proo, although I can only wonder how appropriate this statement is in the East or Middle East. One recent survey by Vault.com reveals that 35% of managers open share their political views in the workplace, while a whopping 66% of employees do the same. I'm quite certain that such statistics would make any HR manager spit up their coffee.

Anecdotally speaking, it seems to me that those who love spreading their views the most are those who are on the fringes. It's either the "all foreigners out" group or those who would have you bathe in cow dung to protect the environment – neither of which group appeal to me.

Here's a friendly reminder: the workplace is a place for you to make a living, earn a check, etc. It's not a public forum for people to wax poetically or to spread their own political agenda while at the water cooler.

I can almost see the HR folks nodding their heads in agreement, which must mean I'm on to something here.

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