Q: You’ve previously advised readers to avoid conflict by not talking politics at work. But I have a small business with few employees, and we all happen to have similar political views and actually enjoy talking politics (and sports, too). I’m growing the business and will be doubling the number of employees next year. I’d prefer to maintain our current like-minded cohesion. Would it be legal for me to hire only those who share my political views? What are the pros and cons?
A: Political affiliation (like sports team preference) is not a protected category under employment discrimination law. So technically you could exclude from hire those who don’t share your political views –or for that matter, those who are fans of a rival sports team.
Although I appreciate the sentiment and see why you would want to keep the same harmonious environment as your business grows -and even though the practice is technically legal- it’s simply not realistic or wise from a business perspective. Why? Let me count the ways:
It’s Awkward – How would you determine someone’s political views? Will you have hints in your advertising? Or will you wait after you’ve identified the best qualified applicants? Will you have a question on the application? Or during the interview? I can’t think of a way of doing this that doesn’t make me cringe.
Community Image – It’s possible your business could earn a reputation in the community for hiring only people with certain political views. How would that affect your customer relations and public image? After all, we can safely assume you’re interacting with a variety of people since you probably don’t ask about political views before doing business with customers, vendor and suppliers.
Competitive Edge – When everyone in the organization has similar views and outlooks, businesses can become stale and blind to the competition. Having diverse views leads to better problem solving and creative thinking.
You must be doing something right if you’re growing your business in this economy. But in business -as in life- sometimes what’s good for us is not what’s most comfortable, but instead it’s that which makes us grow, change and adapt.
© Copyright Eva Del Rio
