Managing Workplace Civility During Trying Times

With this week marking a change in federal administration, emotions and opinions are running high across the country. There is bound to be a heated discussion in the breakroom or on team message boards.

Why Civility in the Workplace Matters

Workplace civility is, at its most basic level, respectful and courteous behavior exhibited by individuals toward their colleagues in the workplace. But many of your employees may not be experiencing even basic civility.

According to the SHRM Q4 Civility Index, December 2024[1], 76% of U.S. workers reported experiencing incivility over the past month. This included acts such as gossiping, sharing offensive jokes, ostracizing, or even withholding important information from others. Specifically, 21% said they personally experienced incivility, 40% reported witnessing it, and 15% noted they had both experienced and witnessed uncivil behavior. Among these workers, 13% encountered incivility daily, 48% experienced it weekly, and 39% monthly.

Political and social tensions in the workplace can decrease civility, lower morale, distract from productivity, and even escalate to complaints of harassment. Sixty percent of workers reported that they believe it is important or very important for their organization to make efforts to address civil discourse in the workplace in 2025.

By setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of respect, you can help your team navigate these charged times.

Things to Keep in Mind

While employees may freely express their opinions outside of work, political discussions in the workplace must align with the need for a professional environment.

Importantly, the First Amendment protects against restrictions imposed by the government, not private employers. Thus, private companies may restrict speech on their property, provided the restrictions do not infringe on an employee’s rights to engage in protected concerted activities (such as advocating for higher wages).

Additionally, employers may prohibit political discussions that could violate anti-discrimination or anti-harassment laws, promote hostility or violence, breach company policies (such as code-of-conduct rules), or infringe on the rights of others.

On the state level, Virginia law does not provide specific protections for employees’ political affiliations, leaving private employers with the discretion to regulate and discipline some political expression in the workplace.

Steps You Can Take to Preserve Civility

You can take the following steps to promote civil discourse:

Set Expectations

• Employees look to their leadership to set the tone.
• Remind employees that political speech at work should be respectful and non-disruptive.
• Reinforce that the workplace is not the appropriate venue for divisive or inflammatory discussions.

Review Your Policies

• Ensure your anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies address “political expression” that crosses into harassment or creates a hostile work environment.
• Clearly define your policies on acceptable workplace behavior such as ethics, code of conduct, and civility.
• Remind employees that your workplace policies may be enforced for off-duty conduct that impacts the workplace.

Encourage Constructive Communication

• Promote a culture where employees can agree to disagree and disengage from confrontations over sensitive topics with colleagues and clients.
• Lead by example.

Offer Training

• Make sure your employees know what steps to take and whom to speak to if they witness or experience harassment.
• Provide training on anti-harassment and discrimination, effective communication, unconscious bias, and more to foster understanding.

Conclusion

Rising political and social tensions give employers an opportunity to set the tone for civility and professionalism in the workplace. By addressing political discussions thoughtfully, you can navigate these challenges while maintaining productivity and employee satisfaction.

If you need assistance updating your workplace policies or want to provide workplace training, contact a member of the Woods Rogers Labor & Employment team.

[1] A sample of 1,622 U.S.-based workers employed by an organization was surveyed between Nov. 7 and Nov. 12, 2024, using a third-party online panel.