Almost half of Gen Z and Gen Y would quit over political disagreements at work

According to Indeed/Harris Poll, employees are particularly uncomfortable when colleagues talk politics in business meetings, HR Drive reports.

Most employees (63%) are "at least a little" interested in politics, and about a third (35%) admit to talking openly about politics at work, according to a recent online survey conducted by Indeed and Harris Poll.

But that's where they draw the line, especially when it comes to workplace discussions. More than half (54%) of the 1,141 US adults surveyed said they felt uncomfortable discussing political topics in meetings, Indeed reported in its analysis published on 14 August.

Respondents also expressed discomfort with small political messages that appear during remote meetings, such as when campaign stickers, mugs or props supporting other political parties appear in the background of a video conference, the survey found.

Employers need to address these concerns to curb potential performance and engagement problems, Indeed indicated, with 34% of employees believing that political discussions have had a negative impact on team morale.

Job retention is also a problem. Nearly 40% of Gen Z and Gen Y workers (18-34 year olds) said they would leave their jobs because of political disagreements in the workplace, and 40% said they would leave if their CEO expressed political views they disagreed with, according to the survey.

Overall, 28% of workers would consider quitting because of political disagreements, and 32% would leave if their CEO expressed views they disagreed with. Earlier this summer, 68% of workers told Monster they felt uncomfortable talking politics at work, but sometimes felt pressured to do so, often during informal conversations, group meetings or one-on-one meetings with managers.

A recent Gallup analysis found that employees also expressed fatigue with their employer's political engagement. Fewer than 4 in 10 U.S. adults want companies to have a voice on current events, a 10% decline since 2023, the analysis found.

Despite this, Indeed's findings show that workers still want to feel politically compatible with the organization they work for. The survey found that six in 10 workers want to work for a company where the CEO is politically aligned with the company. That number jumps to 66% among recent graduates and 71% among men aged 18 to 34.

It's notable that 42% of respondents said that the entire company or corporate leadership is specifically aligned with a particular political party, a scenario that is much more common among Gen Z and Gen Y.

HR Drive