There’s no denying that world politics are in an unstable position at the moment, with the latest conflict in the Middle East only adding to the social unrest being felt across the globe. While these tensions and divisions are played out on the macrocosm of the world stage, it’s also inevitable that they’re affecting the microcosm of workplace dynamics.
During such periods of social unrest, your employees may experience heightened emotions such as anxiety, worry, stress, grief, fear or anger, often based on their identities and lived experiences. Differing perspectives can lead to tension in staff relationships, as well as impact employee wellbeing and psychological safety.
As HR professionals, you may be wondering what approach to adopt at this time. You may be fearful of having a negative or unintended impact, of not knowing enough about the topic and of the impact of failures or missteps on you and your organization. You may have found yourself walking on eggshells and biting your tongue, afraid of being “cancelled” for saying or doing the wrong thing, even with the best intentions.
Inclusive dialogue and respectful engagement are critical for organizations to be able to meaningfully support diverse workforces during these unstable times. Here are three ways HR professionals can support this.
1. Hold space for dialogue and discussion
We live in an increasingly polarized world where we’re conditioned by those who are in positions of power and the media to engage in dichotomous thinking. We falsely frame an issue as having only two options, even though more possibilities exist. This is further reinforced by political discourse that pushes a combative “good vs. bad” narrative to topics that are far more nuanced.
Dichotomous thinking shuts down conversations with greater nuance, and closes the space to engage our reservations and concerns. What we need instead is to create sufficient space for multiple realities and opposite things to coexist at the same time.
To create this, we need to move away from debate to discussion and dialogue. In a debate, each party has to take a stand for or against the motion, and there is only one winner. When we’re engaging in a difference of opinion, we try to convince the other person of the rightness of our position. This only increases our defensiveness, as well as that of the other person, and leaves little room for increasing understanding and shifting mindset. In debating, we become more attached to our own view, rather than being open to other’s views—we want to avoid “losing” the argument.
Because social justice issues are not clear-cut, and there are many viewpoints in the space between the extremes, we need to be able to hold space for these more nuanced discussions. This allows us to hear different perspectives, have richer dialogues and shift our mindsets from being fixed to being open to growth. We can reflect on the limitations of our views while being open to consider other perspectives.
See also: Don’t let cultural flashpoints consume the 2026 workplace
2. Be prepared to learn new ways and approaches
Our organizations reward us for knowing rather than learning. People expect leaders to have the necessary answers and know-how. This creates an environment where everyone is eager to prove what they know to each other and that what they know is right.
But when it comes to social unrest, as mentioned above, there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. In this context, we might be hesitant to let others know we don’t know what to do and, instead of admitting that, we try to hide our insecurity. We have been conditioned into believing that not having all the answers is a sign of weakness, but the truth is none of us knows everything.
It’s vital that we educate ourselves to challenge our preheld knowledge, beliefs and assumptions, and accept that this is a constant process. In the words of the 19th century American writer Mary Roberts Reinhart: “When knowledge comes in the door, fear and superstition fly out.”
In times of social unrest, we may feel we don’t know enough about a topic, or feel anxious or fearful about it, both of which may keep us from engaging. But in today’s information age, there are plenty of resources to help us satisfy our curiosity. We can do this by reading, or listening to an audiobook or podcast.
It’s also OK to acknowledge gaps in our knowledge by saying the following:
- “I would like to know more about this topic, so can you point me in the right direction?”
- “Could you tell me more about this? It’s not a topic I know a lot about and I would like to know more.”
- “I’m going to take some time to understand more about this before we engage on it. Please give me some time to do my own research and then we can have a conversation.”
As HR leaders, don’t try to minimize, generalize or rush to frame “both sides” in a way that erases power dynamics or lived experiences. Instead, acknowledge the situation, name the impact on employees and express care without positioning your organization as having all the answers.
3. Accept your mistakes and learn from them
We need to accept that we’ll make mistakes when it comes to issues around social unrest. Instead of focusing on getting it right all the time—and in turn avoiding engagement—focus instead on using every interaction as an opportunity to learn from an intelligent failure. Be curious and ask the following questions:
- What can I learn from this?
- How can I change the words I am using to be more inclusive?
- What words, language or topics do I need to learn more about?
In engaging, view our efforts as an experiment, even if things don’t quite go as we hoped. Learn what worked, what did not and what needs to be done differently the next time to achieve positive outcomes. Remember, if we get it wrong, it doesn’t mean we’re not a good person or leader. Don’t see it as a blow to the ego but instead as a growth opportunity to learn and do it better. Then, transform failure into success.
Taking inclusion beyond policies
Navigating social tension at work offers HR leaders the opportunity for learning and growth if approached intentionally. Ultimately, organizations that foster dialogue over debate and are constantly learning are better able to navigate complexity, foster intelligent dialogue and ensure colleagues feel psychologically safe to express their views.
Inclusion is not just a policy or statement, but a practice that shows up most clearly in moments of discomfort and uncertainty. Embrace this discomfort by being curious and learning how to communicate in a way that respects the differing views of those in your workplace. By doing this, HR professionals can help colleagues navigate difficult conversations confidently.
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