Surge in office political arguments after Donald Trump's election win, survey finds

Four out of 10 Americans have had a bad experience during political discussions at work following the election of Donald Trump as President, a new survey suggests.

The American Psychological Association, which commissioned the poll, warned that the number of “often-heated discussions” had increased since the November election.

And it suggested managers would need to take steps to ensure people with different views were able to work together effectively or productivity would suffer.

The survey, of more than 1,300 employed people, found 54 per cent had discussed politics with co-workers.

And 40 per cent said they had experienced at least one ‘negative outcome’ such as feeling stressed out, a sense of increased workplace hostility, poorer performance or difficulty in getting work finished.

A similar survey carried out three months before the election found 27 per cent had a negative experience resulting from a political discussion.

Dr David Ballard, director of the APA’s Centre for Organisational Excellence, said: “Employers might prefer to keep political talk out of the workplace, but the reality is these often-heated discussions have intensified since the election, posing a threat to employee well-being and business performance.

“Whether it's about politics or any other difficult conversation on the job, managers and supervisors need to create a work climate where people with diverse opinions and backgrounds can work together toward common goals without their differences creating a toxic environment.”

He said the tensions were about “more than who won or lost”.

"People across the political spectrum have strong feelings about very personal issues that directly affect their lives, including equality, civil liberties, the role of government, social justice and economic security,” Dr Ballard said.

“Being bombarded with news updates, social media chatter and arguments with friends and coworkers can reinforce stereotypes about Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, perpetuating an 'us versus them' mentality and driving a wedge between people.

“Employers and employees have a shared responsibility to resist the trap of vilifying those with different opinions and actively encourage civility, respect, collaboration and trust.

“A psychologically healthy work environment can help diminish the negative consequences of unavoidable political discussions and serve as a source of stability and support, even during divisive times.”

The survey, carried out by pollsters Harris, found that nearly a third of respondents had witnessed work colleagues arguing about politics.

Fifteen per cent had been involved in arguments themselves. Nearly a quarter avoided some coworkers because of their political views.

Cynicism has also gone up, particularly among women, who are now almost as cynical as men.

In the survey before the election, nine per cent of women reported feeling more cynical and negative during working hours. But this rose to 20 per cent after the election.

Twenty per cent of men felt this way before the election and this rose slightly to 23 per cent in the second survey.

People who described themselves as liberals — which means left-wing in the US sense — were more likely to feel tense or stressed (38 per cent) than ‘moderates’ (22 per cent) or conservatives (21 per cent).