# Are you allowed to talk politics on the job **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578 "2016-11-20T20:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/21 "2016-11-21T14:04:25Z")
I work in a small office and there’s no real rules on what we _could_ discuss but social etiquette would seem to imply that you don’t start a political debate among the five or six people you work with daily. The day after the election, I was driving to a meeting with a co-worker and we both had the same “What the hell just happened?” opinion about the results but general office chatter about it Just Isn’t Done. I once worked with a guy who was constantly “On” about politics: starting debates, sending e-mail forwards, etc. Even though his partisan beliefs largely lined up with my own, I still found it tiresome and inappropriate for the workplace. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/22 "2016-11-21T14:47:53Z")
Allowed to? Some people won’t shut the hell up about politics and insist on making every conversation about it. I learned a while ago not to talk politics or religion at work. The hard way. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/23 "2016-11-21T15:20:12Z")
Certainly we are allowed to talk politics at work, but that sound you don’t hear is me doing it. I have to work with these people, no matter how they voted. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/24 "2016-11-21T15:37:38Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I work for my state’s government. Talking politics is actively discouraged, and not really smart practice to begin with. Especially with my ultimate boss being the governor. I work for the same state. When my boss mentioned something about too much talk about the upcoming election, I responded that we were discussing crime – the upcoming rigged election. We all got a good laugh out of that one. And I still have a job – so far. ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/25 "2016-11-21T15:54:52Z")
I’ve never been advised one way or the other on this topic. I simply don’t do it. I would never talk politics or religion to coworkers or customers. I don’t even talk politics or religion to many of my friends or family. That’s why I come here. If a customer wishes me a Merry Christmas, I will wish them a Merry Christmas back. If they say Happy Holidays, I’ll wish them a Happy Holidays back. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/26 "2016-11-21T16:22:18Z")
Another substitute teacher here, and the rules are the same as the OP: Not with or even in front of the students, but in the break room with other teachers is fine. I work with older grades, though, and so I get a lot of students asking me about my political views (even if it has nothing to do with the subject I’m teaching). In those cases, I just answer “I voted for the candidate I consider best”. If they push past that, then I just tell them flat-out that it’s not an appropriate topic of discussion between a teacher and students. I’ve also had occasions where the topic has been, say, climate change, or evolution, where a student has challenged me with “I thought you weren’t supposed to talk politics with us”, to which I respond that climate change and evolution are scientific topics, not political. And I’ve seen evidence that not all teachers follow these rules. I’ve had students tell me that other teachers told them how they were voting, and I’ve seen political materials in teachers’ rooms. But it’s not my job to enforce that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/27 "2016-11-21T16:40:04Z")
Yes, but why would I? I have to work with these people. Honestly, do people _want_ to talk politics at work? I mean, it’s pretty up-there on my list of subjects to actively avoid discussing at work. Right after: All Things Jesus, You’re a Crappy Parent, and What the Hell Are You Wearing. ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/28 "2016-11-21T16:58:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Another substitute teacher here, and the rules are the same as the OP: Not with or even in front of the students, but in the break room with other teachers is fine. I work with older grades, though, and so I get a lot of students asking me about my political views (even if it has nothing to do with the subject I’m teaching). In those cases, I just answer “I voted for the candidate I consider best”. If they push past that, then I just tell them flat-out that it’s not an appropriate topic of discussion between a teacher and students. > > I’ve also had occasions where the topic has been, say, climate change, or evolution, where a student has challenged me with “I thought you weren’t supposed to talk politics with us”, to which I respond that climate change and evolution are scientific topics, not political. > > And I’ve seen evidence that not all teachers follow these rules. I’ve had students tell me that other teachers told them how they were voting, and I’ve seen political materials in teachers’ rooms. But it’s not my job to enforce that sort of thing. When my daughter was in the 8th grade, (toward the end of Bush’s second term) she was handed an assignment asking if her political views were in line with her parents political views. I ended up scribbling all over that paper, then finally drew a line down the middle to report that we were straight down the line moderate. In other words, it’s none of your business. I couldn’t let her turn in that paper, so I called the school and politely asked if she be dismissed from the assignment. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/29 "2016-11-29T16:15:31Z")
There’s no official rule at my company (as far as I know) but in the decades I’ve been there, there’s an unwritten rule that it is not done (or kept to a bare minimum). Once, a partner (as in, accounting firm partner) tried “jokingly” to tell everyone to vote for the Republican candidate and referred to the Democratic one as “Billary” (this was in 1992). I work almost 100% remotely (i.e., from home) so in reality I’m free to talk politics all I want, there just isn’t anyone to argue with :D. However: I do work for a government client and occasionally go there for meetings. A couple months back, I was there and had my building badge and my Metro smart card in the same card holder on a lanyard. Well, the Metro card happened to be an Obama inaugural commemorative card. One of the two client staffers in the room zoomed in on this as government employees are not supposed to display ANYTHING political (no buttons, posters, etc.) in the workplace. I was baffled - the card represented **the incumbent president** , the same fellow whose portrait was all over the building, and quite obviously the fellow was not running for reelection. Then the other client guy jumped in on the bandwagon “Ooooooooh, [Hatch Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch_Act_of_1939)!!”. Semi-jokingly, but yeesh. I wound up turning the card around so the offending picture was not visible. I’m sure my inner eye-rolls were audible blocks away. My manager was in the room as well and she pointed out that it didn’t apply to me anyway because I’m a contractor, not an employee. So in theory I could wear all the buttons I wanted even at the client site. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/30 "2016-11-29T16:25:59Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Allowed, yes. Advised, no. USPS data center, surrounded by conservative, ex-military Republicans. Similar situation. I work at a trucking company where right-wing talk radio is piped in instead of Musak, and “Just shut up and smile” is basic survival. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/31 "2016-11-30T01:03:00Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Certainly we are allowed to talk politics at work, but that sound you don’t hear is me doing it. I have to work with these people, no matter how they voted. > > Regards, > Shodan This is my favorite answer 😊! ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/32 "2016-11-30T01:13:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Another substitute teacher here, and the rules are the same as the OP: Not with or even in front of the students, but in the break room with other teachers is fine. I work with older grades, though, and so I get a lot of students asking me about my political views (even if it has nothing to do with the subject I’m teaching). In those cases, I just answer “I voted for the candidate I consider best”. If they push past that, then I just tell them flat-out that it’s not an appropriate topic of discussion between a teacher and students. > > I’ve also had occasions where the topic has been, say, climate change, or evolution, where a student has challenged me with “I thought you weren’t supposed to talk politics with us”, to which I respond that climate change and evolution are scientific topics, not political. > > And I’ve seen evidence that not all teachers follow these rules. I’ve had students tell me that other teachers told them how they were voting, and I’ve seen political materials in teachers’ rooms. But it’s not my job to enforce that sort of thing. My daughter is in high school, she would sometimes tell me that a teacher would give out articles as part of class and tell them it was nonpartisan. My daughter said you would have to be an idiot not to know which way many of them were leaning. I know it happens, but I can’t help but hope she forms her own opinions based on facts. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/33 "2016-11-30T04:42:36Z")
State employee. I may wear a button to proclaim my views, but cannot post a placard in my office window. If I were to talk with about an election, I would need to be very careful that it was relevant to the topic (like funding cuts) and not construed to be an abuse of my power or as a functional threat to subordinates who have different views. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/34 "2016-11-30T15:18:36Z")
I’ve had some political discussion with co-workers in hushed tones, but only when I know that the other person shares my views (for example, the guy in the cube next to me had an HRC logo pinned to his wall, so we talked a bit about LGBT equality). Political talk is not forbidden, but it’s not a good idea in most circumstances. I support the idea that teachers should not express their own political views to their students, at least not younger students. My 6th grader came home the other day slightly amused because his substitute math teacher had complained about Common Core and boasted that now that Trump was in the White House, we would be getting rid of it. We’ve already talked to our kid about: 1) why we actually support Common Core; 2) how it’s not a federal program, so not really something the President controls; and 3) how Tennessee already decided to drop Common Core from its curriculum last year, and 4) his substitute math teach is ill-informed (we wanted to say “full of shit” but refrained). Last year, one of his teachers was a full-on Tea Partier. On the bright side, it prompted a lot of discussions at our house about our political views and why we have them, but I wanted to make a deal with his teacher: don’t tell my kid that liberals are dumb and I won’t tell your kid that his mom is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/35 "2016-11-30T15:22:51Z")
I forgot to mention, my wife used to teach AP US History for high school juniors, and each week would have students bring in articles about current events to discuss in class, which often led to political discussions. She LOVED it when the kids made political assertions, because she would argue the other side - no matter which side it was. Usually she would make the liberal argument, because this was in semi-rural Tennessee, but sometimes it went the other way. Each year the kids would beg her to tell her how she voted or what she “really” believed, but she always told them to think for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/36 "2016-11-30T15:55:53Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [The Hatch Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch_Act_of_1939#Current_restrictions) forbids a lot of things related to active political campaigning and the use of one’s position as a federal employee to further the interests of a particular candidate (e.g. by wearing Hillary shirts or Trump buttons), but I don’t believe it rules out casual conversations of politics that take place between coworkers while on the job. Seeing as how Hatch Act violations are one of the few fireable offenses for most fed employees, discretion would lead one to err on the side of silence. Some positions, such as mine, are even more restrictive in terms of what you can do/say. For example, I cannot even have a partisan sign on the lawn in front of my home. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/37 "2016-11-30T16:07:20Z")
I don’t think there are any rules at my work, but there’s so little chit-chat here anyway, it doesn’t seem to matter. Really - we’re getting a new boss tomorrow and the only reason I know that is I overheard a conversation in the hallway. People just don’t talk much here. I do know our receptionist is a Trumper, but beyond that, I don’t know and don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/38 "2016-11-30T16:56:45Z")
I’m a Federal employee, and the agency has put up the post-election (Hatch Act) rules. They are weird: > [@](#): > > What Can I Wear or Display in the Federal Workplace after Election Day? > > After Election Day, employees may wear specific campaign t-shirts or display pictures of candidates that name only the candidate or the candidate’s slogan, even while on duty or in a federal workplace. Examples of permissible displays could include “Hillary for President;” “Trump for President;” “I’m with Her;” or “Make America Great Again.” Because the election is over these displays are not seen as political activity. > > However, the definition of political activity includes activity directed at the success or failure of a partisan political party/ group. Therefore, even after Election Day, the Hatch Act still prohibits federal employees, while they are on duty or in the federal workplace, from wearing or displaying items that show support for or opposition to a partisan political party/group. For example, items with a “Democrats for Hillary” or “Republicans for Trump” slogan are prohibited even after the election regardless of who wins because these slogans are in support of a specific political party. Questions? Contact Ethics or your Regional Counsel. > > What Can I Post on Social Media after the Election? > > After Election Day, employees may post certain comments about the results of the election or share, like or retweet a former candidate’s status about the results of an election even while on duty or in the federal workplace. As long as the post does not reference a specific, named partisan political party, the activity is not considered political activity because after the election, the individuals are no longer considered candidates. For example, an employee may post “So happy that X won” or “Good work, America - we avoided the disaster that would have been the X Presidency.” However, employees must refrain from connecting HUD or their official position in these posts. > > Please note that even after Election Day, the Hatch Act prohibits employees from posting, liking, sharing or retweeting posts about their support or opposition to a specific, named partisan political party/group while an employee is on duty or in the federal workplace. For example, posts while on the job specifically commenting on named political parties are prohibited. So I can go as far as to wear, say, a “Bill and Opus 2016” shirt, but anything that mentions the Meadow Party, no matter how small, is verboten? (Insert other candidate/party as desired) That’s a bizarre place to draw the line. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578/39 "2016-11-30T17:50:48Z")
I work for a boutique strategy consulting firm whose clients are mostly Wall Street investment banks, big pharma and government agencies. So obviously what have to be sensitive about what we talk about in front of clients. Like it would be kind of odd if I told Goldman Sachs that I need to leave early for an Occupy Wall Street protest. In the office, people can pretty much talk about what they want. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-allowed-to-talk-politics-on-the-job/772578.md?page=1)