Dozens of Google workers were let go in the middle of April after organizing a sit-in protest in the company’s California offices, calling for an end to Google’s agreements with the Israeli government. For an essay he wrote earlier that month accusing National Public Radio (NPR) of political bias, senior editor Uri Berliner was suspended by the news organization. Later on, Berlinger quit. The New York Times has opened an inquiry into its employees after details about how they covered the Gaza crisis were leaked.
Around the world, workplace conflicts of a similar nature are brewing, dividing workers and placing pressure on businesses to take action.
According to Edoardo Teso, an associate professor of management economics and decision sciences at Northwestern University in the US, politics is becoming less and less restricted to the political sphere. He also notes that individual opinions might “spill over” into the workplace.
Political conversations may naturally arise in workplaces worldwide as dozens of nations this year hold elections, including the US, Belgium, India, Pakistan, and the UK. It is up to business leaders to decide how to handle these situations and when they go too far.
