Politics and Professional Practice – keep it to yourself or wear your heart on your sleeve?

One morning at work, while I was making coffee (before office hours) a female co-worker, out of the blue, told me that I needed to vote NO on Proposition 8 (Essentially voting yes to gay marriage). She didn’t ask how I was going to vote. She told me how I SHOULD vote. It caught me so off guard, I didn’t even know what to say… I don’t care what my co-workers politics are and I don’t expect them to tell me what mine should be.

One numerous occasions, group AD marker sessions would turn political. I’m sorry, but I have a hard time swallowing liberal rhetoric while we’re working on a rendering for the king of Saudi Arabia. See the irony? They didn’t….

I guess to get back to your question, I don’t think work is the place for political discussions. It has nothing to do with the task at hand and only works to create unnecessary drama and divide the office. Keep your politics to yourself…

Having political bumper stickers on your car, should probably stop in college. As you’ve experienced, it can jeopardize relationships with co-workers, clients and contractors. By voicing your political leanings, you are essentially reducing your potential income in half.

As an interesting aside, it seems that most developers and contractors are conservative while most architects/ landscape architects have liberal leanings. I don’t adhere to one party or the other. I don’t vote the party line. I take on each issue individually. I refuse to identify as liberal or conservative. I’m neither. I suppose, if anything, I’m libertarian. Don’t bother me and I won’t bother you. Discussing politics at work bothers me.

Why ruin a perfectly good automobile?

I never put anything on my cars…period. I take the dealer logo off, I take the dealer plate frame off, and if I need a window sticker, I make it easily removable. Just think of all those people who have stickers on their cars and are having second thoughts about their support or ideology…ever try to take a bumper sticker off??? Not fun.

Bumper stickers, no matter what they are for, peg you. Just as your car does (btw, if you drive a Prius, you really don’t need the bumper stickers) Frankly, I don’t care who you are voting for, what group you support, what your Calvin is relieving himself on, whether your fish has legs or not, and if your kid is an honor student. Nobody else does either. Besides, political stickers are a great way to get your car keyed or vandalized.

I generally try to keep things like politics and religion at home and I try very hard to not discuss those topics in the work place or in the field. You just never know who you are going to encounter, but there are times where you can let your views stand out. If you have a good relationship with a client/coworker/contractor then it might be appropriate. I am heavily involved with client and contractor communication and these topics come up often, I either skate around them or just listen and subtly change the subject.

I never share ideas on politics, religion, or anything else that is polarizing when on the job. I stick strictly to “safe” subjects. My car is unmarked, and on the few occasions when someone at the office has asked me about my views, I’ve simply declined to discuss it in the nicest way I could. Unless it is part of the design program, I don’t see how these topics are relevant to either professional relationships or the design work.

What is a bumper sticker?

It is a label you put on yourself.

When the results of the 2008 presidential election came in, I wrote “We Won!!!” in soap on the back window of my pickup. It was the first time I felt jubilant and celebratory about ANYTHING in many months. The owner of my company saw it and told me to wash it off. “Don’t rub it in. I don’t rub it in.” he said. I didn’t think that was fair as it was on my property and could have referred to anything, but I complied. Not much I can take pleasure in, and he had to squash it. I only had a tiny oval “Obama-Biden” sticker before then. Back in 2004, when I was with another office, I had to deal with gloating co-workers. It annoyed me so much I took a walk outside to cool off. I’ve always kept my leanings to myself in that I don’t initiate political discussions. As others have noted, I think its inappropriate for work. Depending on your position and leanings, you may be creating a hostile work environment for someone else. I once had a supervisor who would listen to Limbaugh while we drove around to various jobsites. I thought I was in hell. Occasionally I’d get fed up and interject a contrary opinion, but debate isn’t my strong suit and I tend to avoid it. Being in a government job, I was more safe than in the private sector.

Years ago I was a volunteer firefighter. Among their rules was an order to not discuss politics or religion in the firehouse, as it created arguments. I think companies should have similar rules in the interest of maintaining harmonious office environments. We are people before we are professionals, and it can be difficult to keep one’s personal views out of the professional life, especially if one feels that a particular parties’ positions are affecting the economy and one’s ability to professionally thrive.

Yes, we mostly have to learn to keep our politics to ourselves, Tanya, but I do agree with your interest in political expression..It is so difficult to talk politics in the US these days (a point I was trying to make in an earlier post) that we opt just not to do it..I think that is to our detriment – we need to learn to be able to talk politics, as a culture..I don’t mean the screen-gods like Glenn Beck, I mean everyone – people like Glenn Beck wouldn not get so much traction if we could all talk politics, leftees and righties..and in-betweenies..I think as a culture we are very uneducated and inarticulate, politically, and part of it is this repression we all excercize (usually after a few life experiences!) on our political opinions..
It is one of the few things I like about my job..I am open about my political persuasion here, and can actually have political DISCUSSIONS without loosing a client or my job..One still has to be VERY careful..
We had all these Prop 8 posters in one girls cubicle, in our squad, but it was obvious it was not something one wanted to talk about with her..
But we do, as a nation, need to be able to articulate..As far as I know the French talk politics…Not that it got them a better system, or to manage to avoid shame in the World Cup (HA!)…But I think it is better for your heart..
I’m a Democrat, born and bred in the briar patch – my dad worked for Bobby Kennedy in an anti-mafia squad in the Riverhead DA’s office..
I am not saying all Dems are great, or follow Dem principles, but the traditional idea of the difference between repubs and dems puts me square in the Dem camp..if anyone cares!!
: )