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I think politics can be discussed at work but it depends on WHO you are discussing it with. I would definitely stay away from a political discussion with a boss or someone who has direction supervision over you. I am fortunate enough to be very close to my "boss" whom I consider one of my closest friends. Her and I can talk about anything: politics, religion, children, etc. But I would never discuss politics with the Big Boss. If you end up on opposing sides, you either wind up in a full blown argument (not an ideal situation) or acting as if you agree with the person when you really don't.

It is just not in YOUR best interest to talk politics with people not personally known to you. I have friends at work, with different views than mine and we can have some heated discussions, but at at the end of the day, you are still friends. I think my point is that you need to be selective in whom you actively discuss politics with. A true friend whom you work with, would not be slighted if you didn't agree with their stance, but a mere acquaintance might hold that against you.

One of the men that I am normally very social with at work, recently went on a complete tirade about a candidate that I went to dinner with the night before. I was absolutely shocked to realize that he was 100% behind the other candidate. I did not want to discuss my feelings, because we were at work, and just let the subject die down after he vented for a few minutes.

If your work place is a hostile environment where you are constantly watching over your shoulder, I would steer clear from any political discussion.

It should be noted that I work in local government. Our small City holds elections every odd year for Mayor. Needless to say I learned most of the above the hard way!

I have learned that unless you are speaking to someone that you are very close to and you are confident that you can always agree to disagree, it is not a subject for the workplace. You can guarantee that your friends will still be your friends but for a casual acquaintance, your relationship might become strained. While I am still friendly with the gentleman I spoke of above, I deliberately steer clear of any mention of the candidate that he disliked. The election ended with the candidate that he endorsed did win the election, so we will see what comes to pass. But I am very guarded in our conversations now as to not say anything derogatory about the current Mayor.

Learn more about this author, Penny Albitus.
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