Polarisation is intensifying in workplaces; what can we do?

Recent events in America have intensified the discussion around polarisation. There’s no doubt that this increasing polarisation of wider society is impacting how people work together.

Workplaces, for many of us, are probably the one place left where we might interact with people holding different views.

Of course, I’d like to think that most people, most of the time, want to work well together in a mutually respectful way; that it would be overstating it to say that external political polarisation is toxifying all workplaces.

That said, some people seem increasingly to have less tolerance for others’ views; less willingness to accept that situations contain any shades of grey; and little interest in understanding different perspectives. In their lives and in their workplaces.

This type of intolerance can create an increasing sense of conflict and we’re certainly seeing that in some work environments – whether people are debating a work issue (like remote vs office working), or when a sensitive societal issue enters a digital forum like Slack and people apparently forget they’re at work (and pile in as they might in a debate on X).

Three simple truths

1. There is no right to free speech at work. If you’re in any doubt about that, read your employer’s Dignity at Work policy (or its equivalent) and think about what words like consideration and respect mean.

2. Employers owe every employee a duty to provide them with a safe system of work.

3. At the heart of inclusion lies a very simple idea: that other people are different to us. Inclusion is all about how we can enable different people to thrive. (And, by the way, whatever you’ve been told about adherence to DEI policies, employees thriving is what drives high performance in workplaces.)

What should I do if conflict has occurred, and an employee feels marginalised due to their beliefs?

Of course, everything depends on who you are: you might be an expert first responder (from HR or ER), a line manager seeing something develop in your team or ‘just a colleague’ - but someone who can use your influence. The basic proposition though, is that you should walk towards the problem.

Context is going to be critical in any situation. You’ll need to understand and carefully assess the wider situation in order to handle this well. From a risk perspective, remember that, with political and religious beliefs, UK law can protect people with opposing views (e.g. gender critical beliefs and pro-transgender rights).

Remember that marginalising someone due to their political or religious beliefs might amount to harassment or bullying. On the other hand, have in mind that the person feeling marginalised might also have said or done something considered extreme or offensive by others - thereby escalating the conflict.  

To avoid this sort of escalation, when anyone feels marginalised, you need to be confident you’ve created a culture where - rather than responding in a reactive manner, the marginalised person feels able to raise it safely and openly - with someone who can help to de-escalate it.

When they do, ideally they will receive compassionate support. The skill at this point lies in validating their emotion and the difficulty of their experience without taking sides - so that you can take appropriate next steps (depending on who you are).

Depending on context, you might then engage with the person or people allegedly causing the marginalisation, without judgement, to find out more about it.

It might be a situation where, explaining the negative impact of their actions on the individual (and probably on the wider team's cohesion and effectiveness) is sufficient.

Sometimes, it might be that it’s clear there’s a need for more in depth conflict resolution (perhaps facilitated conversations or mediation) or it may be that things are serious enough that you need to follow a formal process. If you have them, involve your HR/ER colleagues about how best to address it.

What’s always best is being proactive about your workplace culture, and trying to prevent these issues before they happen.

How can workplaces proactively foster a culture that supports differences of opinion?

1. Set behavioural standards for your workplace. Reinforce some key ideas repeatedly: work’s not X; Slack is not Facebook; there’s no unfettered freedom of expression; our colleagues have different views and all of us deserve (and expect) respect at work.

2. Make sure that your leaders/managers and other influential people in your workplace are living and breathing this messaging; that they are being proactive. Particularly when societal tensions rise.

3. Act unambiguously when needed: if people haven’t been able to regulate their own environments, then step in with more than ‘be nice’. Stop the conversation if it’s ongoing. Take appropriate action if need be to demonstrate that the business upholds its standards in practice.

4. Help people to navigate these situations in the moment: give them tools, like our human conversations training. It's far from easy because stress hormones get triggered. Ideally people need a safe space to practise de-escalation; there’s no substitute for doing it - in a training room, practice managing a conversation where viewpoints differ strongly. This is obviously high risk and needs to be run by someone with experience.  

Something we often talk to clients about is the (very difficult) question of whether organisations should be commenting on world events that will affect their people. Much will depend on the sort of organisation you are. We're always happy to find the right answer for you.

Please reach out to us if you need help with any of these issues raised in this piece.

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