Every presidential election cycle spurs an uptick in political banter in break rooms throughout the country. But few presidential contests have stayed as top-of-mind and tip-of-tongue as the 2016 race. Even Super Bowl 50 was overshadowed when, two days later, Donald Trump won his first primary.
For employers, the spike in political talk naturally has raised concerns about the manner of political talk around the water cooler. Trump, for example, has openly eschewed political correctness when communicating his political objectives. And opponents in both parties have followed suit when attacking those objectives. When the resulting political discourse — supercharged and sometimes provocative — finds its way into the workplace, it creates a challenging legal climate for employers. It is a climate from which allegations of discrimination and hostility may emanate.
