Talking Politics at Work: Still Taboo?

Adecco Survey Finds Millennials Lead in Discussing Politics at Work in '08

MELVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Conversations over the nightly news
and at dinner tables across America are increasingly focused on the
presidential primaries -- but what about conversations around the water
cooler? According to Adecco USA's most recent Workplace Insights surveys, 50%
of American workers do talk politics in the office, while 47% listen and keep
their political views to themselves (3% reported that they "don't know").
Among the younger set, however, the percentage increases to 61% - a dramatic
jump from the 45% of Millennials who reported discussing politics at work
during the 2004 presidential election (Bush vs. Kerry). Even though half of
respondents do talk politics at work, a majority of them (62%) report that
they do not know who their co-workers are voting for.
Other key findings from the survey include:
-- Boss' Politics Impact on Employee Perception: Of those American
workers who knew which presidential candidate their boss would be
supporting, 39% reported this information having impact on their
perception of their manager.
-- Men More Willing To Share: While 48% of male workers know their
colleagues' political preferences, only 26% of women reported knowing
who their co-workers would vote for.
-- Black Workers Make Their Voices Heard: The majority (59%) of Black
workers who were surveyed participate in the political dialogue at the
office, compared to only 37% four years ago.
-- Politics Not First On the List of Office Taboos: Despite sensitivities
around talking politics at work, Americans ranked religion, office
gossip and personal life as the top three most taboo topics to discuss
openly at the office, with politics and money tying for fourth position
in this category.

"Being politically correct at the office means communicating carefully and
inclusively when politics is on the agenda," says Bernadette Kenny, Chief
Career Officer of Adecco USA. "Although the presidential primaries are a hot
topic right now, it's important to leave the more heated debates outside of
the workplace in order to keep things professional. We need to be aware that
our opinions on key political issues and the candidates can affect how we're
viewed at the office by our managers, peers and direct reports, and that
impact can last long after the last votes have been tallied."
If you find yourself involved in political discussions at the workplace,
Bernadette Kenny provides some guidance below on how to best communicate and
manage through it: -- Respect all viewpoints: Today's workplace is
extremely diverse,
representing individuals that bring a wide range of perspectives,
opinions and political viewpoints. While your political affiliation
may not mirror those of the person in the cube or office next door,
everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even when you don't see eye to
eye, be sure to listen, ask questions and be respectful when
responding, as these behaviors are essential to maintaining a
productive and professional work relationship regardless of your or
their place on the political spectrum.
-- Keep it professional, not personal: People can get very passionate and
heated when talking about politics. Whenever emotions run high, the
line between what's professional and what's personal can be blurred.
No matter where your conversation takes you, remember that you're at
work and focus the conversation on the issues instead of particular
candidate's personality, traits or family.
-- Feel comfortable excusing yourself: If the conversation becomes
uncomfortable, excuse yourself. Feel free to say you have an
assignment deadline, a meeting to attend, or a client call, which can
be an easy out to end the conversation and move on to more work-
focused, comfortable territory.

Survey Methodology:
The findings in this release are based on two telephone surveys and one
online study. The most recent telephone survey was conducted January 17-20,
2008 among 573 adults who are employed full or part time. The earlier
telephone study was conducted July 29-August 1, 2004 among 642 adult Americans
who are employed full or part time. The online survey was conducted January
17-18, 2008 among 592 Americans employed full or part time.
ADECCO WORLDWIDE:
Adecco S.A. is a Global Fortune 500 company and the world leader in
workforce solutions. The Adecco Group network connects over 700,000 associates
with business clients each day through its network of over 33,000 employees
and 6,600 offices in over 70 countries and territories around the world.
Registered in Switzerland, and managed by a multinational team with expertise
in markets spanning the globe, the Adecco Group delivers an unparalleled range
of flexible staffing and career resources to corporate clients and qualified
associates.
ADECCO NORTH AMERICA:
Adecco is the workforce solutions leader in the United States and Canada,
with a comprehensive service offering that includes temporary and contract
staffing, permanent recruitment, outplacement and career services, training
and consulting. In addition to its core competency in administrative, clerical
and light industrial staffing, Adecco operates the following specialty
divisions: Engineering & Technical; Finance & Accounting; Information
Technology; Medical & Science; Legal; Human Capital Solutions; Government
Solutions; and Transportation.
Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland (ISIN: CH001213860) and listed on
the Swiss Stock Exchange with trading on virt-x (SWX/VIRT-X: ADEN) and
Euronext Paris - Premier Marche (EURONEXT: ADE).
Additional information is available at the company's website at
www.adeccousa.com.
About OPINION RESEARCH:
Founded in 1938, Opinion Research Corporation provides commercial market
research, health and demographic research for government agencies, information
services and consulting. The company is a pioneering leader in the science of
market and social research and has built an international organization to
support market intelligence in both public and commercial markets.
SOURCE Adecco

Jacqueline Chen Valencia, Vice President, Public Relations & Corp Comm,
+1-917-572-8666, jacqueline.chen@adeccona.com; Anthony Guerrieri, Director,
Public Relations, +1-917-434-4296, anthony.guerrieri@adeccona.com, both of
Adecco Group North America