Some companies recently tried to separate business from politics so they can better focus on their mission. This has caused some understandable backlash because trying to be non-political is in-fact a political move, whether or not they intended it or not.
Everything is political. Actions and behaviors are deeply influenced by societal beliefs, norms, and biases. That’s why trying to avoid politics altogether is, it it’s own way, a political decision or a lack of understanding of culpability in, for example, social issues.
The best way to acknowledge this in a business context, is unclear, but policies that prohibit political discussions in the workplace probably aren’t it.
See also:
- Coinbase declaring being ‘mission focused’ does not include politics or activism.
- Basecamp made a policy about discussing politics and one third of Basecamp employees accepted a buyout offer and quit the company.
- This is also an example of in-group favoritism and (maybe) belief congruence theory which could lead to even more problems in the organization as employees seek to raise their standing with the in-group.
Links to this note
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Wokeism Will Americanize the Global Progressive Class
Wokeism is a cultural export. Nearly every country now has a woke movement that seeks to right a wrong, argues that people should be sensitive to it, and purge wrongdoers. While some (like the French) see wokeism as a means to spread American influence, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If the world ends up caring more about women’s rights and black lives that’s a good thing.
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Why Is Everything Liberal Literary Notes
Why Is Everything Liberal argues that corporations are left-leaning even though half of people vote conservative because liberals care more. They support this claim with examples like protests, friendship, and dating preferences. At the peak of the Tea Party movement hundreds of thousands came out to protest compared to millions for the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter. In dating and friendship studies, the author shows that liberals have a more difficult time being friends or dating someone who voted for Trump than the reverse.