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The centered organization:
From polarization 
to performance

circle graphic With a spate of global elections on the horizon and political talk permeating the workplace, tensions are rising. What’s at stake for your business?
Download the summary
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Bi-weekly employee pulse

We’re pulsing 800+ employees and updating this dashboard biweekly to help you better understand how political polarization is directly impacting workplace productivity, performance, and culture. To understand more about why these inputs fuel performance, see our detailed findings below.
Productivity
62%
of workforce rated their productivity at least 9 out of 10
+0.40%
updated 12/19/24
Social disconnection
25%
of workforce who felt distant from co-workers
-1.10%
updated 12/19/24
Workplace trust
70%
of workforce felt comfortable raising concerns to leadership
+0.50%
updated 12/19/24
Stress
20%
of workforce felt difficulties were too hard to overcome
+2.20%
updated 12/19/24

4+ years of employee data

Our goal: Define and quantify the state of political tension in the workforce, and outline leadership approaches that help employees feel supported and productive in times of uncertainty, but also help to proactively protect the organization’s bottom line.

To do this, BetterUp Labs analyzed proprietary data from 246,000+ employees (June 2020 - June 2024) and also surveyed 1,600+ US full-time workers across three key dates (June - August 2024).

Read more about our methodology →

Tense political moments decrease productivity and well-being at work

Looking at historical data (2020, 2022), we see that as US elections near, both well-being and productivity experience declines.

This is costing your organization

Organizations pay a hefty price for the decrease in well-being, increased absenteeism, and lost productivity during periods of increased political polarization.

$900,000 per week

on average for a 10,000-person company in the run-up to November and potentially beyond.

Negative impacts from rising political tension are multidimensional

Zooming in on two months (June-Aug 2024), we found the share of employees who reported rising negative impacts of political talk on work outcomes—including focus, belonging, team cohesion, and mental health—increased by 56-95%.
Employee percentage negatively affected by political tension - line chart Employee percentage negatively affected by political tension - line chart

A global challenge

While the US election is the source of the current spike in political tension, it is just one example of a rising global challenge at work. As significant geopolitical events spike around the world, we see workforce impacts in every geography. On one hand, this is due to the interconnected nature of work. On the other, there is increasing global prevalence of political polarization, as recent research has demonstrated.

Employees on all sides want their organizations to avoid taking political stances

Many leaders feel pressured to weigh in. Before your team makes any statements, consider what employees told us: Organization Neutrality Chart Organization Neutrality Chart

There is a delicate balance

Employees in our study were clear that they do not want their organizations to take a stance on political issues. However, this doesn't mean stopping conversations. Top-down censorship of political discussions undermines autonomy, stifles expression, and breeds distrust across teams. As a result, these negative outcomes begin to permeate other aspects of day-to-day work.

Censorship is not the answer

Our data reveals that, while banning political discussions reduces such conversations, it doesn’t ease political stress. In fact, it raises team conflict by 35% and makes employees 23% more likely to self-censor in all aspects of their work, which negatively impacts performance.

+35%

increase in team conflict when political discussion is banned

+23%

increase in employee self-censorship when political discussion is banned

Self-censorship hurts key performance outcomes

While many employees choose not to engage in political conversations at work, it's important that they feel empowered to do so. This is the difference between an employee making a high-agency decision about boundaries versus an employee having a fear-based reaction to withhold relevant self-expression.

Self-censorship vs key performance outcomes - line chart Self-censorship vs key performance outcomes - line chart
 
Burnout
 
Team Performance
 
Self-Efficacy
 
Social Connection
 
Resilience
 
Authenticity

Building a centered organization

Our research reveals a host of positive actions that can be taken at the organizational and manager level to preserve productivity, focus, and connection, even when the world around us feels divided. Although stressful political moments have spikes, their increasing frequency means this challenge is now an evergreen challenge. Organizations therefore have the opportunity to invest in building practices and cultures to confidently rise to the moment.

3 strategies to try:

1. Stay connected

Most employees across the political spectrum (70%) want neutrality from their leaders, but neutrality doesn't mean disconnection. Here are what employees say you can do to support more connection and cohesion:

2. Managers matter most

Your managers play a crucial role in establishing social norms and culture across your organization. In fact, they are the single most impactful category of influence.

Drivers of employee influence - Donut Chart Drivers of employee influence - Donut Chart

To lead effectively through political tension, managers need to avoid specific behaviors that can negatively contribute to more polarization in the workforce. They also need to increase behaviors that alleviate tension.

The chart below details the high impact manager behaviors managers must strengthen or change course on to make the difference in reducing team stress.

3. Build a culture that embraces development, coaching, and collaboration

Organizations need to proactively invest in building the kind of culture that protects against external political tension impacting business performance. Three practices that should be a priority for all leaders:

  1. Invest in employee professional development by providing training and resources to develop coaching skills at all levels

  2. Place value on the cultivation of coaching skills, including them in employee reviews and rewarding effective coaching behaviors

  3. Recognize and reward individuals for collaboration and knowledge sharing

Coaching culture - Bar Chart Coaching culture - Bar Chart

Get the executive summary

Over the last four years, we’ve analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of employees to pinpoint what kind of support they need from leaders to thrive in these times.

Now you can get them in your inbox.

Our latest executive summary outlines proven strategies senior leaders can use to foster a culture of respect and connection during times of change and increased polarization.