Michael Schmidt was quoted in Employee Benefit News discussing his recommended best practices for keeping political discussions in a virtual workplace productive and civil. “Many people are not working in a traditional office right now because of the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean the rules of the road have changed,” says Mike. “Digital devices may be blurring the line between private and professional conversations, but employees still need to be respectful of one another.” He concedes that the current political climate is having a polarizing effect on Americans, and employers need to be ready to handle workplace conflict, should it arise. However, he doesn’t advise employers to discourage their workforce from discussing politics altogether — employers just need to set some ground rules. “The election is highly charged because of who the candidates are and all the social issues that are hot right now,” he says. “You can have adult discussions about the issues without running afoul of workplace ‘don’ts’.”

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