How do you guys navigate the current political tensions at work?

I was wondering how you guys are handling politics at work. I understand that a lot of people are of the opinion that politcis should be discussed as little as possible at work, especially with colleagues you don't know that well. However it seems that politics is almost impossible to avoid these days, either directly or indirectly. When things like ESG, climate stuff, affirmative action, safety in the subways etc are discussed it quickly evolves into a political discussion. And people seem to be less and less tolerant to other viewpoints  My personal viewpoints are not often inline with the mainstream orthodoxy so this makes these kind of situations a bit tricky, especially with people who are of any importance.

4 Comments
 

Our HR team in the US (only in the US to US staff) sent out an email about this, what to do, what not, ..
They also added a leaflet someone gave them about safety during your commute, after work events and more.

The NYC staff found that very valuable.

The EU/UK teams received no such email or leaflet and, as you know, these things are commonly never discussed at the office anyway. I have never heard anyone discuss politics in our London offices.

 
Most Helpful

Best policy is just not to discuss it, honestly. There is zero benefit to voicing a controversial (or even non-controversial) opinion or having a discussion about politics at work, and a whole lot of downside.

Things like affirmative action shouldn't be coming up at work - if they are just say like wow, I saw that article. Crazy. Something completely non-answering it and don't get into it.

Even on firm-related things like ESG/climate... if you don't like it but your company is big on it, keep it to yourself. There's just no benefit to having a whole debate about it at work and you will only make enemies, you're not going to convince anyone

Array
 

Est dolores fugit sint ea tenetur et quia. Eius quis rem doloremque rerum officia. Et et velit ipsa.

Quia et recusandae dolorum aliquid atque nesciunt. Ratione voluptatibus nulla nulla inventore. Voluptas sunt minus ratione voluptatem pariatur non. Magnam reiciendis dolorem expedita veniam nihil non. Et et autem doloribus ducimus molestiae.

...and the Truth shall set you free

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”