The U.S. presidential election is nearly upon us, and workplaces around the country will be fraught with tension this week. But managers have some levers at their disposal to calm employees—or at least try to maintain a calm environment.
“There’s a heightened sense of anxiety in this particular election,” Kurt Jeskulski, the U.S. regional managing director for Page Group, a recruitment services company, tells Fortune. “Everybody’s a little bit paralyzed waiting to see what’s going to happen.”
HR and business leaders should publicly stay neutral, workplace experts and executives told Fortune. Their leanings can have an outsized effect due to power imbalances, and employees shouldn’t feel as if they need to conform to their bosses’ political views.
Setting up an office activity might help on election day itself, whether that’s a guided meditation or a creative project for employees to distract themselves for a bit.
And finally, it’s critical that managers keep in mind how emotionally taxing this week can be for so many people in the U.S. Allowing employees a bit of flexibility both in terms of voting is great, but so is allowing them time to step away from work if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Doing general mental health check-ins with workers isn’t a bad idea, either. Especially considering the fact that about 69% of people reported feeling anxious about the 2024 presidential election, according to a recent poll from the American Psychological Association.
“It’s unlikely we’ll have a clear victor on Tuesday night, like the last election. It’s likely going to drag out,” Joe Galvin, chief research officer at Vistage, tells Fortune. “There’s a whole world that’s vibrating on this, and we need to leave that outside, and come into work focused on being better as an organization.”
You can read the full story about how to manage your workplace this week here.
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
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