Talking politics at work is a double-edged sword, Gallup survey finds

Love or hate politics, they may be hard to ignore this fall given how strongly many people feel on both sides of the aisle about the presidential race and key ballot issues, not to mention world events.

Love or hate politics, they may be hard to ignore this fall given how strongly many people feel on both sides of the aisle about the presidential race and key ballot issues, not to mention world events. And going to work may not offer a respite. Gallup on Thursday released a nationally representative survey that found nearly half of US workers (45%) in February said they had a discussion about political issues with a coworker in the past month. And 38% said they had overheard such conversations. Respondents who worked in industries with a plurality of self-identified conservative employees (60%) were more likely to report talking politics at work than respondents in industries with more liberal-leaning employees (48%). And men (54%) were more likely to report having political conversations on the job than women (35%). But not everyone reported feeling comfortable with those discussions. Fourteen percent said such conversations helped them feel included, and 11% said the political exchanges even made them feel closer to their coworker. But 12% reported feeling uncomfortable, and 3% said they felt they were treated unfairly for their views.