Feeling comfortable enough at work to speak your mind can undoubtedly make for a pleasant work environment. But today many employees are biting their tongues at the office, especially when it comes to their political leanings.
According to a recent My Perfect Resume survey of 1,000 U.S. employees, in today’s fraught political climate free speech is hard to come by at work. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of employees say they feel the need to exercise caution around how they communicate with their employer and their workmates. Largely, they are worried about backlash over their political views: 68% say they don’t talk about politics.
This fear stands to reason: 43% of U.S. employees say they have either witnessed or personally experienced discrimination over political viewpoints. Likewise, employees whose politics don’t align with their companies’ feel they have to smile and nod: 41% said they felt pressured to agree with a “workplace stance” on social and political views to avoid blowback. Over half (56%) say that cancel culture has destroyed open dialogue.
“On the surface, it might look like we’re having more open conversations at work—but beneath that is a culture of fear and self-silencing,” said Jasmine Escalera, a career expert at MyPerfectResume. “Employees are being told they can speak up, but they’re also reading the room—and staying quiet.”
While there’s always been an old school belief that religion and politics should only be brought up in good company, in recent years cooperations have become more vocal on political matters. One study found that partisan speech from companies rose sharply from from 2012, with a major shift starting in late 2017, when political tweets from corporations doubled.
Politically vocal companies may be appreciated by some consumers who want to know where to spend their dollars and what brands to boycott. However, the vast majority of people wants businesses to stay quiet on politics. According to a 2024 Axios Harris poll, less than four in 10 U.S. adults (38%) believe businesses should take public stances—a decline of 10 points since two years earlier.
Still, in the current political climate, it may be more important than ever to seek out employment at a company whose values align with your own.
