Originally published by Sylvia Ann Hewlett on LinkedIn: Preventing politics from dividing your workplace

As inauguration day quickly approaches, our country is still struggling to shed the baggage of a divisive election season that divided friends, families, neighbors and communities. As society still grapples with inclusivity and, post January 20th, how do we expect employers to foster an environment of inclusion in the workplace?

For better or worse, the corporate world is a microcosm of the larger world. People who voted for Donald Trump may share a cubicle with those who voted for Hillary Clinton or other candidates. In a contentious postelection environment, employees have to navigate a language minefield where the wrong word can ignite an explosion. How can company leaders deal with it all and prevent political opinions from polarizing the workplace?

Not by ignoring the situation, was the consensus of a recent coalition sponsored by the Center for Talent Innovation of 70-plus corporate leaders from companies across industry sectors. Participants agreed that whether the issues that affect your employees have to do with racial inequality, discrimination based on religion or intolerance of sexual orientation, silence is tantamount to endorsement of prejudice and biased behavior.

“A large part of what we need right now is a greater sense of humanity and more openness,” Steve Howe, EY’s US Chairman and Managing Partner, Americas Managing Partner, recently wrote in an open letter to the company earlier this year in the wake of the Dallas sniper murders of five police officers and the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. “That means listening, trying to put ourselves in the shoes of others, building our understanding and stretching our arms out that much further to help one another.”

Companies can’t -- nor should they attempt to -- censure an exchange of ideas and views. What leaders can do, though, is employ strategies to confront sensitive but vital topics in a productive way.

Leaders have the opportunity to set the tone for constructive conversations. After the election, many CEOs at major corporations across the country -- from Apple to Amazon to PepsiCo to Starbucks -- sent messages of comfort, hope and support to their employees, emphasizing unity and strength and reaffirming their company’s commitment to diversity. The chair and CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi reminded employees and their friends and families of their shared values and common goals: “Diversity is a source of strength, an engine of creativity, dynamism, and prosperity….No matter what we look like or where we come from, no matter what faith we practice or what political party we support, we are, first and foremost, Americans. We are, first and foremost, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, who want a better life for ourselves.”

By speaking out, leaders make it “safe” for employees to discuss societal issues that are likely to impact behaviors inside the office walls. Companies can organize facilitated town halls or discussion sessions that address sensitive topics, current events and corporate responses to them, while staying alert for any comments that could be deemed discriminatory. This is probably best done in coordination with the company’s compliance team to ensure the conversation is productive and non-discriminatory.

There are many companies that are fomenting internal dialogues with all employees on sensitive topics. For example, after the election, Erika Irish Brown, Bloomberg’s Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, communicated with members of Bloomberg Communities (employee resource groups), reaffirming the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. “I hope we all not only respect our colleagues’ different views and opinions,” she wrote, “but also treat one another as we would want to be treated.” This message of inclusion goes beyond communication at Bloomberg: for example, diversity and inclusion is included in evaluation metrics and all team leaders and managers are required to attend participate in unconscious bias training.

By fostering a speak-up culture and enlisting the support of their employees, business leaders can acknowledge and begin to combat social injustice and racial intolerance. “Focusing on our differences is easy and divisive,” says Edith Cooper, head of Human Capital Management for Goldman Sachs. “Leveraging what we have in common is harder, but will effect positive change for all. Engage in this dialogue,” she urges. “Don’t be silent.”