Brexit | Should staff be discussing personal politics at work?

Brexit is a phrase on the tip of every employee’s tongue at the moment. Overseas talent has cited concerns over tenure and their rights to live and work in the UK going forward, while many workforces face the fear of redundancy as a result of growing Brexit-related financial instability.

This is corroborated by the stats; four in ten employees have reported that the UK’s planned departure from the European Union (EU) has resulted in their employers slashing jobs, with more redundancies projected to follow, according to Glassdoor data.

With the uncertainty of Brexit continuing to rise, it is quite possible that tensions among workforces will rise if employees express opposing political opinions at work. Equally, if employees are forced to mirror the political viewpoints of their employer – that may not align with their personal politics – it is likely to cause conflict too.

Earlier this year, it was alleged that Wetherspoons staff were threatened with disciplinaries and dismissal for refusing to hand out political pro-Brexit flyers.

HR Grapevine previously reported on the anonymous messages that Guardian journalist Owen Jones had collated, which were allegedly sent from employees working at the firm. One source alleged: