5 ways for employers to manage post-election emotions in the workplace

October 30, 2024 5:30 AM

Woman sitting at desk holding glasses rubbing head worried tired

Emotions are running high as election day approaches. This is almost certain to continue for workers who are disappointed with the outcome.

From hot-button issues to the state of democracy itself, many Americans are worried about what this year's presidential race will mean for them and the country. The New York Times reports that candidates — Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Republican opponent — are less than a percentage point apart in the polls with one week to go, leaving neither side's supporters confident.

Worse, data shows most voters anticipate short- and long-term issues following Nov. 5: A survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that approximately 40% of registered voters say they are "extremely" or "very" concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results following the election, and nine in 10 voters in each party fear that democracy will suffer should their non-favored candidate win.

"Employers need to understand that regardless of the outcome, in many cases, about half of their company is going to be [not just] depressed and upset, but quite honestly, scared," says Christy Pruitt-Haynes, head of the talent and performance practice at NeuroLeadership Institute, a global research and training organization. "That is something that is a little different than what we have seen historically."

To give their workforce a sense of security, employers should prepare to display their support of employees' needs, while also reminding them that they are a valued member of a business where the focus should be work. The aim should be to have as little disruption as possible, emphasizes Pruitt-Haynes.

"It's a time to bring people back together and center them on whatever the mission of your company is," she says. "People will need common goals so they can recognize that even if [a coworker's] vote canceled theirs out in the ballot box, they each still bring unique skills to the organization that are beneficial to us all, and that will help all of us reach those goals."

Meet with leaders now

Ahead of the election, Pruitt-Haynes recommends gathering the company's leaders together and relaying a short list of things they can do to promote a safe, accepting workplace for their teams.

"[Employees] need to understand that they are still wanted, they are still included, and they are still valued members of those teams, so remind their people leaders of some of the critical things they can do to help increase that sense of psychological safety. [They should] continue to invite everybody to team meetings, continue to reach out and solicit the opinion of all of their colleagues in the same way that they would have previously, and continue to acknowledge all of the excellence that people bring to the table, even if you know you are disconnected in this other arena. [This] is going to be another critical component to try and help get everybody on one page as quickly as possible."

Offer employees time to process

For some workers, stepping away from work for a day or two to assess and collect themselves may be necessary, and companies need to say it is okay, Pruitt-Haynes says.

"Above all else we need to prioritize well-being," she says. "From an action standpoint, that's the first thing that would be wonderful for any company to do ahead of the election — to say we are still business as usual, unified towards whatever our ultimate goal is. But at the same time, we realize we are made up of a number of individuals who may have extreme feelings in one way or another, and if you need a moment to gather those feelings, take the time to take care of yourself."

Be mindful of increased sensitivity

When employees are at work following the election, feelings of disappointment and unsettledness can mean exposed nerves, Pruitt-Haynes notes. This is a perfect time for leadership to bring people together in a staff meeting and remind them that, regardless of differences, people should support each other and remember their commitment to their customers.

"The message needs to be that we are still who we are," she says. "We acknowledge that some people are very happy, while some people are very disappointed. However, throughout all of those emotions, we remain committed to being the best that we can at what we are doing. We remain committed to serving not only our clients and our customers, but also our internal customers, and we may remain committed to treating everybody with respect and recognizing that it is still going to take each person in this organization working collaboratively for the company to be successful."

Focus on positive business news

Use gatherings or messaging following the election to communicate company, team and individual accomplishments to the workforce, reminding employees of any wins and reasons to be engaged and happy.

"If sales are up, talk about that. If production is up, talk about that. Look for some of those highlights," says Pruitt-Haynes. "Talk about employees who have done great work recently, talk about some of the successes the company has had recently, or talk about some of the goals that the company is continuing to move towards. If they haven't reached them yet, it would be a wonderful time to say we continue towards our trajectory of increasing profits by 10%, or whatever that might be. Talk about those common things that have or will be accomplished as a group, so people can come back to that."

Remind employees of helpful benefits

Some employees may find company resources such as mental health and wellness offerings, or camaraderie-building opportunities such as employee resource groups, helpful during this time. Leaders can take the opportunity to communicate gentle reminders that these benefits and programs exist, and encourage participation.

"[Leaders can say,] 'As you are going through your normal day to day, just as a reminder we have benefits that are available to you, like PTO, an EAP and all of the other wonderful [things] to really support employees,'" says Pruitt-Haynes. "It becomes another part of the success story that really reinforces who that organization is at its core, and that should be one committed to both excellence in their industry and internal excellence in how they engage."