Rising rates of employee stress and burnout have plagued American employers for years. Now, the country is about to experience what is considered one of the most momentous presidential elections in American history—which could exacerbate an already growing national mental health crisis.
A poll released last month by the American Psychological Association found that 80% of workers surveyed are stressed about the future direction of the nation. Those concerns have made their way into the workplace. Research released last week from ResumeBuilder found the presidential election has escalated conflicts among employees, with nearly 40% saying election stress has impacted productivity and morale. Seventy percent of managers predict such tensions will escalate after election day.
Some of workers’ election stress may be directly connected to the workplace: According to Alight’s 2024 International Workforce and Wellbeing Mindset Study, more than one-third of respondents believe the results of the presidential election will have a significant impact on their job.
“It’s natural for employees to be worried about job security and other work-related issues when there’s a major election looming,” says Michael Rogers, CHRO of Alight, a human capital technology platform. Rogers notes that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris differ vastly on everything from taxes to technology, DEI to labor laws. “Depending on which candidate wins the election, there could be significant impacts on things like regulations, wages and family leave,” which likely has many Americans concerned about their professional and financial futures—on top of the anxiety and overwhelm related to a highly contentious, divisive race and the “constant drumbeat” of media coverage.
It’s incumbent on HR professionals, Rogers says, to take an active role in alleviating employees’ election-related stress—this coming week and beyond—to stave off hits to engagement, productivity and long-term health consequences for employees.
“Mental health needs to be paramount during election week and throughout the year,” he says. “HR must focus on meeting the needs of their people as election stress mounts.”
To counter the stressful impacts of the election, HR leaders don’t necessarily need to roll out new programs or initiatives—but rather should redirect employees to existing resources. For instance, Rogers says, remind employees about outlets like employee assistance programs or wellbeing offerings like yoga and mindfulness classes or access to mental health apps like Calm.
Erin Terkoski Young, director, Health & Benefits, at consultancy WTW, says HR and benefits professionals should reach out to vendor partners to gather information on any supportive programs and sessions, including those tailored to reducing election stress. Ensure to communicate those offerings to all employees, she says.
One of the best antidotes to stress is time off, research has shown. Employees should be encouraged to take advantage of company policies for time off—both to vote and to take care of their mental health.
“Wellness days can be extremely helpful during this stressful time, as taking the time to disengage and recharge may be just what employees need to shed a little election stress,” Rogers says.
That stress will be most evident to employees’ direct supervisors, who need support and training to recognize red flags for mental health challenges on their teams. Importantly, if the ballot counting drags on, uncertainty may drive up stress—and managers need to have the right tools to intervene.
This is a good opportunity, Rogers adds, for HR, managers and leaders to work together to “encourage open dialogue around mental health concerns” and continue the trend of reducing stigma.
Managers should be empowered to allow employees to work flexibly when appropriate and to adjust expectations for deadlines so that they can prioritize their mental health, Young says. Regular manager check-ins also will help establish expectations for productivity throughout the week while enabling supervisors to keep a pulse on their workers’ mental health.
“Demonstrating true care for the whole person, not just the employee, will go a long way in building engagement, productivity and trust,” Rogers adds.
Reducing conflict related to election stress
Likely complicating HR’s efforts to ease election stress in the week ahead will be the ongoing political debates in the workplace.
Nearly half of those surveyed by Alight don’t want to hear political discussions at work. Women are particularly resistant to talking politics with co-workers: Only one-quarter say they are comfortable doing so, compared to nearly half of men; more than half of women don’t want to know their colleagues’ political stances, compared to about one-third of men. Meanwhile, younger generations are much more inclined to want to know their co-workers’ views than older generations.
Regardless of how willing some employees may be to discuss the topic, it’s “sure to make many colleagues uncomfortable,” so employers need to be proactive, Rogers says.
“Issuing a blanket ban on workplace political discourse is not the answer, but that doesn’t mean civility has to go out the window,” he says.
As election stress skyrockets, Rogers says, employees should be cautioned to maintain a professional demeanor at all times and be reminded of company codes of conduct.
HR can lean into specificity with communication guides that include examples of appropriate, non-judgmental responses to differing opinions or difficult conversations, Young says.
“Gentle reminders on company culture and values,” she adds, “can go a long way, especially concepts such as respect, care, diversity or responsibility through to dialogue and conversation.”
Turning to purpose, connection to drive productivity
When employee mental health is lagging, productivity likewise falls.
Employers need to be realistic that workers likely won’t be operating at top caliber right now, Rogers says.
“There’s little doubt productivity will take a hit during election week,” he says. “It’s inevitable.“
However, that doesn’t mean HR is powerless. This can be a good opportunity to “rally the troops,” Rogers says: Host an all-hands town hall to reinforce company purpose and mission, help employees double down on shared goals, jumpstart Veterans Day programming a week early. Alight, for instance, is sponsoring a virtual initiative that honors employees who have served.
While workers will undoubtedly be distracted in the days ahead, the conclusion of a divisive election cycle has many Americans “over it,” Rogers says, and many may be looking to work as a means to escape the national news. HR can lean into that as an opportunity to reconnect employees to their work and purpose.
“For some employees, work can be a respite from the rhetoric of what has been a particularly exhausting and dramatic election season,” he says. “Focusing on what makes the company a great place to work breeds belonging, which is going to be especially important during this divisive time.”
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