Tackling Politics in The Office

The U.S. is deeply polarized and emotions are running high. But it’s possible to encourage discussion while deterring discord

- Eduardo Luzzatti

Paul English co-founded Kayak and is now CEO and co-founder of travel app Lola, in Boston. Most of its 60 employees, like English, are Democrats. During election season, one gave English a baseball cap that expressed four-letter disdain for then-candidate Donald Trump. English didn’t wear the hat but left it on his desk. Then a manager told him that the anti-Trump tone in the office was making one employee uncomfortable. That Trump supporter feared her political views would hamper her career. English immediately stashed the offending headgear and discussed the issue with managers. “I wondered if a hostile work environment was developing,” he says. Coping with differing views has never been easy, but in today’s sharply divided nation, it’s especially tough. You may not get employees from opposite political poles to agree, but you need them to work together or the company suffers. Here’s our platform to unite the work force. —MINDA ZETLIN

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