Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your human resources questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the population for Human Resource Management, the globe’s largest HR professional population and author of “Reset: A chief’s navigator to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”

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Question: I manage a tiny business of 13 employees. We’ve seen increasing tension leading up to the recent presidential election. I thought it would subside once the election was over, but there’s still resentment and discord among employees on opposing sides. Should we ban political talk at work? Can we turn down some of the office tension? – Meena

respond: You aren’t alone. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. employers are concerned about managing divisive political beliefs. Navigating political conversations in the workplace can indeed be challenging, especially in a tiny business setting where everyone interacts closely. Outright banning political talk has proven unrealistic and challenging to enforce, even for tiny companies.

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Here are some strategies to assist reduce tension and foster a more harmonious work surroundings:

◾ Acknowledge the reality. It’s essential to recognize that political issues are deeply personal and can evoke powerful emotions. Elections aren’t games or amiable competitions. They’re consequential to people’s lives and their beliefs. The issues people worth and consider in voting are very personal to them, so what one employee might consider a harmless remark can be received as a personal affront by another.

◾ inspire cooling-off periods. While I don’t recommend banning political conversations at work, a temporary pause can assist. Advise employees to provide each other space and period to procedure their feelings after an election. Make it obvious that they have a correct to self-expression, but correct now is too soon. Allow some period to bring down the temperature, whether their candidate won or lost.

◾ Promote regard and empathy. inspire employees to regard each other’s political views, even if they dissent. First, prompt them how democracy works, by allowing everyone a voice and respecting the outcome of elections. Someone will triumph, someone will misplace, and we must be willing to receive the wishes of the entire electorate. Secondly, it’s not forever. The person’s elected for four years, correct? So, continued fighting doesn’t serve anyone. There will be another election four years from now. Have some empathy for the other side. inspire employees to ponder about what they would feel if the outcomes were reversed.

◾ Foster a population of inclusion. highlight your workplace’s worth of diversity, including diversity of political thought. If our workplace cultures are going to embrace diversity, we must embrace the packed spectrum, not just the elements we align with. So, in addition to race, gender, country of origin, or age, we must embrace diversity of political perspective and political affiliation –meaning your employees have a correct to vote for whomever they desire to vote for. We must regard their vote, and it’s critical to operate with dignity and regard and embrace our differences.

I’ll add this: prompt employees to be mindful of your social media policy if you have one. Most employers consider employees to be representatives of their brand, whether on the clock or not. So, keeping silent at work but being noisy on social media during your period off might also backfire.

Promoting regard, empathy, and a population of inclusion can assist reduce political tension in the workplace and make a more positive and productive surroundings for everyone. recall, it’s inevitable that we’re going to dissent at times; it’s how we leave about it that matters.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

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