Right Wing, left wing, I ain't a bird, I really don't mind what my fellow friends or colleagues beliefs/views are etc.. as long as we can can work in harmony and we make a kickass good team it really shouldn't matter right? Have you guys had any instances where your colleagues' views on politics or anything of the sort caused you guys to fall out or not work as efficiently?
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I'm probably the top 5 most un-biased people on WSO when it comes to politics, but it's always the liberals that start trouble in the office
Haha what ranking system are you using to know you are in the top 5 unbiased people on this blessed site
The Black-Scholes Model. How the f*ck else would you figure it out? Efficient Market Hypothesis?
Skip politics everytime.
Yea politics should be avoided just takes two people with major differences and everything gets awkward quickly,
Yeah I’vee seen how quick things get heated between people who differ in views, totally unnecessary imo if people are gonna be working together
sex politics religion
don't talk about em in the office, the end.
if someone tries to change the subject to politics, say something like "I'm not comfortable talking about that stuff at work." yes, that direct, say it stonefaced, don't mince words. no one will bring it up again, and in all likelihood it makes them feel like "oh shit, maybe I shouldn't talk about this kinda stuff."
now, if you're at microsoft and your entire company is lobbying for something like getting rid of ICE, you can absolutely vote on those matters, but it's not anyone's business except your own, so if someone asks "hey are you gonna support that measure on ICE?" say something like "I saw it, I'll review it and I'll act on it, but my decision is my business, not yours." you need to create an aura of "don't fuck with me, I'm here to work" in order to keep people from talking about that sorta stuff with you.
Yeah I agree, nobody wants to hear about that dude who walks in bragging about how many girls he has “railed”.
“Okay dude, you are cool, but do I care?”
I'm ok with other guys talking about how many girls they banged so long as they back it up with incredible tales of debauchery, otherwise they come off as someone who's douchey and trying to prove something. And probably lying too.
My old boss used to act like he was a stud in college when in fact, he was a fat, red-headed twat who suffered from IBS. He came off douchey.
Sex always comes up at my office the other two not so much
First dates are like the workplace, don't talk about RAPE - Religion, Abortion, Politics, Education. Also don't talk about rape either.
Sometimes a good rape joke can break the ice, or it land you behind bars... Risk vs Reward at its finest
Political Discussions in the Office (Originally Posted: 09/06/2012)
How can I avoid discussing politics with VP/MD types over lunch?
Two or three times a week the team sits around a table eating lunch and reading the WSJ. Inevitably the front page has 2-3 political headlines and we're off to the races.
The MD makes pretty neutral comments, with a few anti-regulation quips here and there. Most of his comments relate to how regulation has made the advisory landscape more challenging.
The VP, however, is a diehard conservative and supporter of family values. He's convinced all non-Republicans are mentally challenged and listens to people like Rush Limbaugh. Once he found out I'm from a liberal state he has set out to convert me, even though I'm actually a libertarian.
His arguments are full of holes and rarely based in fact. Do I even bother arguing with him? I've tried to just listen to him talk and make as few comments as possible but he treats even neutral statements as me disagreeing with him and then becomes even more convinced that I am misguided and need to see the world as he sees it that much more.
tl;dr: How do you manage political discussions in the office?
No. In the real world, most people understand that political views differ. In the real world, most people can look past political views and assess people as individuals.
Wish far left liberals actually followed your advice.
*far left/right/up/down
Sounds like you have a great VP.
I'm libertarian too but between R and D i'd go R.
Just tell him that as the adopted son of two immigrant homosexual left-handed dyslexic Buddhist Latino fathers, you can't help but be grateful to live in a free country that respects people's right to live how they want to and pursue happiness as they themselves define it.
One way to show credibility and substance in these talks without having to show a tilt is to just know the facts - for example take some time to study the US government budget and know what various outcomes (elections etc.) would do to that. If anyone asks which way you're voting, you can point to a number and say "that's why, I just think that makes better sense for the budget and that's our most critical issue at the moment." Also, ideological issues are impossible to decide and always in flux because culture is malleable, so you spend your time looking at absolutes (numbers).
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectionGPO.action?collectionCode=BUD…
Don't ever talk about politics, espically if you're a liberal - it makes you sound like an idiot.
Fixed that for you.
Never talk about politics with someone who thinks Rush is the truth and the light. Never talk about politics at work. That's 0 for 2. Just nod your head.
'Murrica.
political discussions are the best part of my work day
He's probably just fucking with you. Nobody in New York listens to Rush Limbaugh.
I think its best to generally avoid discussing politics with people who can affect your bonus until you have such a strong relationship and enough good will to be able to handle a disagreement.
The one exception that I can think of is where you're put in a position where you are discussing policy that can affect your industry. At that point its best to take a dispassionate approach discuss some of the facts and historical examples but also acknowledge that you might not be able to get someone to back your views as they (or you) might have deeper ideological issues that are at the root of their (your) opinion on a topic... but don't actually say that to them!
Part of being a professional entails preventing one's personal beliefs and disagreements from informing their opinion of their coworkers. Do most people hold themselves to this standard? No.
Being from the UK, all bankers can bond over one thing, we all fucking hate brexit. No good is gonna come from it, especially for the finance sector.
I do it all the time but I specifically try to hire people who are open-minded and don't get butthurt when someone disagrees with them. My team is generally pretty data driven as well so when we do talk politics it's more of a friendly/fun debate/discussion than a "he said, she said" type thing.
So yeah, if you work with people that are dumber than a bag of bricks and lack emotional control, then don't discuss politics.
Yeah i totally agree it is always the people with less maturity that tend to get triggered over these type of conversations. That said, I really hope that people "dumber than a bag of bricks" dont work in finance lol
There definitely are. Just need to read some of the political threads around here. :)
I think that's why people come on here (me being one of the biggest culprits) to vent. Can't have just a 'conversation' about politics; politics leads to full-on debates. And any type of argument can lead to some sour feelings, especially depending on who the other person thinks he/she is.
I think there is a fine line between politics and current events, and I say this because it's happened to me - had a boss who was hardcore on the right. It was right around when Bridgegate happened and we were talking about the charges and I said that I agree with the democrats on their position and my boss just tore into me about being a commie, a leftist, unpatriotic, unamerican, etc. I told my boss that he didn't even let me finish what I agreed with before jumping down my throat and he said that it's irrelevant because I'm agreeing with idiots who want to interfere with everything. I told him that I agreed with their stance that "Let's wait and see where the investigation leads" and listed 4-5 state senators and congressional leaders who said that. His response - you're still a pinko loving commie. I lost some serious respect for this guy. Mind you, he had a Samuel Adams quote about religion being good in his email signature that asks "Who is just". So go figure.
Damn, your boss really sounds like a dude who really just doesn't like anyone who disagrees with him. You'd think that to get to the level to be a boss you would need to have the maturity of more than a buck-tooth yokel.
This was the same guy I mentioned on the longest hours worked thread. He was a total piece of work. He flipped out at the office manger because she was a single divorced catholic woman (not born again, which would have made it slightly less bad, or male, which would have lessened it even more) because he overheard the two of us discussing TANF-type benefits since she fell within the scope based on her earnings at the company and he flipped out saying that he paid his employees well and that no one should take advantage the government when they earn a wage that can support themselves (not in NJ!)... or the time he flipped out at me for unloading a firearm that he left in the office because it was his right to do that and I was a leftist for wanting to take his guns (no, but I don't want to see a firearm left in the open in a private business because it could create an unsafe work environment). The guy was just looking to enforce his will on everyone.
Happened only one time when I working for an affordable housing company right out of college in 2008. My fellow analyst and I were talking about taxes, and I mentioned something along the lines of how I was a supply-sider (or something fairly innocuous). My boss took me to the side later that day and warned me--and to his credit, it was for my benefit--that outing myself as a conservative would get me on the fast track to termination around those parts. Sure enough, I was laid off, although it was not in the first round of layoffs so it's hard to say that played a prominent role in me getting the boot.
With that said, at least two of my hiring manager bosses have been straight-up out-of-the-closet Dems and never had a problem with me.
.
When Politics comes up at university I actually want to put my head into a brick wall. 'Trump is evil' 'White privilege' this shit never stops. It just pushes people to the right even more so which is where I sit, however for goodness sake can we just keep the political bs to a minimum for a change. Yet to experience it at work though.
There is no doubt that political risk in the office is at an all time high (in our lifetime, at least). If you’re on Wall Street, the majority of your Coworkers will be relatively centrist and have voted for, most likely, HRC, Obama at least once, and potentially traditional republicans like Mitt and Bush. In the past, all options were considered valid and due to differences of opinions on relatively minor things, it didn’t define you or offer insight into who you are as a person.
That’s changed with how divisive the current administration is. So it’s more important than ever to be vigilant about avoiding going too far into political talk at work. The administration is going to get talked about a lot because the policies and rhetoric affect our jobs and the markets, but beyond that you’ll want to be pretty bland, especially if you’re either a die hard trump supporter or a die hard Bernie supporter. Both are going to get you judged pretty hard (one for being a soulless moron and the other for being an economic one). It may not end up hurting your career in a direct way, but if you’re wearing your maga hat at work (or Bernie 2016) it’s going to hurt your relationships with your coworkers and likely, by definition, have at least an indirect negative impact on your life. And most people, whether rightly or wrongly, will assign certain characteristics to you because of it.
Doing great work and being nice to your coworkers is, of course, the great equalizers, but you don’t want to take that chance.
Well written, really crazy to think that politics define you as a person and could potentially affect your career. I think in the US the politics scene is pretty prevalent as the US economy fundamentally affects the rest of the world. Other than brexit, here in the UK there isn't much tensions over political views because people don't really care too much
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