Advocacy Engagement Expert Amy Showalter Shares Guidelines for Productive (Yes, Productive) Employee Political Discussions

CINCINNATI, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- While the increase in political discussions in the workplace is fraught with negative implications for productivity and collegiality, employers can address it by facilitating productive employee political discussions, according to Amy Showalter, Principal at The Showalter Group, Inc., a corporate and association political engagement expert and author, based in Cincinnati.

Research in late 2020 from Gartner revealed that almost half of employees report that they have avoided talking to or collaborating with a co-worker because of their political beliefs. Of those who do talk politics at work, a third of them say the 2020 election led them to argue about politics with a co-worker. 

The Chicago-based software firm Basecamp discontinued political discussion on their company platform because it became, according to their CEO Jason Fried, "a major distraction" that is "not healthy."  A Goodyear employee presentation on workplace-appropriate clothing seemed to favor one political ideology over another, creating major controversy and a 6% drop in Goodyear's stock price.

"Employee political conversations are a form of inclusion and diversity, but they need to be focused and productive. Talking politics isn't bad; it's that most employees don't know how to talk about it without assuming those who disagree with them are ignorant or devoid of a moral compass," said Showalter.

"My clients who I have collaborated with to create or enhance their programs all have structured, formal employee political and legislative involvement programs. HCA Healthcare, Nationwide Insurance, and International Paper provide opportunities for employees to learn more about issues, candidates, how the legislative process really works, and most important, how pending legislation affects their jobs."  

"The outcome of these programs should never be to change a co-worker's mind on an issue or candidate," she said. When structured properly, goals and benefits of these programs can include:  

• Inclusivity - People with different backgrounds and experiences share their views, and that's an element of workplace inclusivity.

• Critical Thinking Skills – Teaching members to recognize specious arguments, misrepresentation of evidence or data, and logical fallacies.

• Media Discernment – Employees can learn to recognize opinion journalism from objective journalism. 

• Mitigation of Negative Coworker Assumptions – "Assuming someone with different political beliefs is somehow psychologically damaged really shows an intellectual deficiency on their part.

• Issue Understanding – Groups should learn about local, state and federal legislative issues that affect company operations, growth opportunities and risk.

• Leadership Development ­– Employees who can adroitly facilitate and lead these types of discussions have a valuable skill set that can be maximized in other company initiatives.   

A Checklist for Employee Political Involvement Programs that Educate, Include and Unite Employees 

Showalter says effective groups must have:

• Group peer leaders who are politically diverse. Authority figures can dampen candid exchanges.
• Face to Face (or video) interaction that facilitates conversations in real time versus only online forums. 
• Voluntary employee participation. Mandating engagement may convey promotion of a political philosophy.
• Group goals and structure with discussion topics, reading materials and guidelines for engagement.
• Group evaluation and recalibration. Consistently obtaining feedback from group members is essential to improving future group discussions and outcomes. 

"Politically engaged and aware employees are a good thing. Instead of trying to cancel these conversations, organizational leaders should creatively and proactively promote discussions within the context of company concerns and relationships," she said.

About Amy Showalter

The Showalter Group, Inc.'s clients include major corporations such as International Paper, Bayer and Pfizer, and national associations such as the National Association of REALTORS®, the American Medical Association and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. 

Amy Showalter has delivered hundreds of workshops and keynotes to thousands of advocates and leaders about how to maximize their influence in the legislative and political process via civility, positivity and accountability. She has also helped organizations establish effective employee and member advocacy programs and Political Action Committees. Over 900 media outlets have featured her insights, including Politico, Blomberg Government, Forbes.com, Roll Call, and The Hill.   

She is the author of two books on influencing elected officials and the biennial Grassroots Influence Pulse (GRIP ®) research, which reveals the tactics that predict legislative advocacy success.  

Her Underdog Edge book is on the curriculum at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Policy. She has served as a guest lecturer at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. Amy is also a faculty member at the U.S. Chamber's Institute for Organization Management. 

Amy has a BA in Political Science from Wright State University and an MSA from Central Michigan University. 

Contact: Amy Showalter
513-509-7179
[email protected]

SOURCE The Showalter Group, Inc.