More than half of American workers—54%—say they’re talking about politics with their co-workers, an uptick since the thick of the presidential campaign in September, when the number was 48%, Bloomberg reports.
A new survey released by the American Psychological Association shows about half of American workers have had post-election conversations with people who agree with them, a third with those who don’t, and 15% have gotten into political arguments at work.
The habit feeding this public clamor: Some 35% of workers report spending more time on news sites and social media to keep up with the latest political news.
It’s difficult, and probably too early, to rigorously measure the impact these encounters might be having on productivity, but when asked how they were experiencing them, 40% of the survey’s respondents listed at least one negative outcome—including lower productivity (14%), worsening work quality (13%), stress or tension (26%), increased workplace hostility (18%), and negative perceptions of coworkers (16%).
A quarter of those surveyed said they have avoided co-workers altogether because of their political views. The survey of 1,311 part-time or full-time employees was conducted online by Harris Poll from Feb. 16 to March 18.
