A Tech Company Tried to Limit What Employees Talk About at Work. It Didn’t Go Well.

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When the leaders of a tech company announced it would curb political conversations at work, fallout came fast—laying bare a sharp divide in the industry over how to navigate potentially divisive issues

. Some employees publicly threatened to quit. Ultimately, the Chicago-based company offered buyouts to its staff of about 50. A significant number of employees decided to leave.

Though small, privately held Basecamp is influential among tech companies—its founders have written popular books about work and held theirs up as a model workplace, with shortened weeks in summer and paying everyone working in the same role the same salary. Its attempt to tell employees not to engage in discussions on societal and political issues during work shows how, after years of encouraging teams to “bring their whole selves to work,” some companies want employees to bring a little less.

Years ago Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. led the way in embracing open discussions of sensitive topics at work, providing internal message boards, town halls and other forums for employee opinions. Many others followed suit, and leadersRecently, some companies have gone the other way—most notably cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc., which last fall declared its culture “apolitical.

 

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All jobs I’ve had with the exception of family businesses, politics were off limits. Good thing, it’s divisive but so is sports. It would be great if we could get back to a place were politics aren’t a blood sport. This is what Mitch and other republicans have made it. 😢

Son, back in the olden days we were cautioned not to discuss religion, politics, or sex in the workplace. I still think it's good advice.

Try living and working under the Hatch Act!

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