Study: Americans Face Political Bias at Work Ahead of Midterms

The study carried out by the Virginia-based Society for Human Resource Management found that one out of five US workers admitted to experiencing poor treatment in the workplace by co-workers due to their political views.

The number of US employees who have encountered political bias in the workplace has doubled since 2019, a new study has revealed.

According to the survey conducted by the Virginia-based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in late August, 24%, or one out of four workers said that they have personally experienced differential treatment (positive or negative) due to their political views or affiliation.

The poll revealed that 45% of respondents said that they had experienced political disagreements at work, and males (30%) are almost twice as likely as females (18%) to experience political bias.

The study also noted that with the days ticking down to the November 8 US midterm elections, only 8% of organizations have communicated guidelines to employees about political discussions at work.

The survey likewise found that around 30% of supervisors would be unwilling to hire someone who disclosed extremely conservative beliefs, while 20% would be hesitant to enlist a candidate who expressed extremely liberal beliefs.

SHRM President and Chief Executive Johnny Taylor noted in the report that “in today’s climate, people are saying, ‘I can’t work with you if you don’t share my views’; it’s a problem HR professionals and business leaders cannot ignore.”

In an interview with the Washington Post, Taylor said that he was seriously alarmed about the survey’s results.

“There's a doubling. You want to talk about a trend. It is really becoming the thing. I'm very, very concerned, as all of us should be as Americans, as we have an upcoming midterm election that our workplace will become even more hostile,” he pointed out.