Many HR leaders will likely be relieved to see November in the rearview mirror, as election season has brought reports of stress and conflict skyrocketing among American employees. While election day may be over, with former President Donald Trump winning a second termtensions fueling political divisions in the workplace will persist, experts say.

“The US election is just one example of a politically polarizing event making its way into the workplace,” says Gabriella Kellerman, chief innovation officer at BetterUp. “Managing them will be an increasingly difficult part of HR’s job.”

HR executive We recently spoke with a number of experts to find out what HR leaders can focus on today to ensure that political divisions in the workplace don’t deepen and protect the business from the impact of future polarization. Here are their top five recommendations:

1. Strengthen relationships.

At both the personal and organizational level, HR should prioritize building better relationships, says Rachel Marcuse, chief operating officer at culture and DEI firm ReadySet. A primary focus should be the relationship between managers and direct reports. As HR knows well, she notes, the manager-employee relationship is a key driver of turnover—or retention.

At the functional level, HR needs to align more closely with the legal department to improve understanding of the changes that will come with the new administration. This knowledge, she says, can help HR lead more effectively through the uncertainty to come—which can create more stable and healthy environments for workers.

“Strong collaboration between human and legal resources – with some healthy push and pull – will be crucial to get ahead of a changing regulatory landscape and ensure we have answers (short or longer term) to communicate constantly to our managers and leaders as the situation evolves,” she says.

2. Lean into company values.

As upcoming elections or national events cause political divisions in the workplace he sneaks out againHR should be trained with a focus on company values. The work, however, needs to start before problems arise, says Amy Mosher, HR director of HCM vendor isolved.

For example, managers should consistently lead with respect and expect their employees to do the same.

“When values ​​are consistently put into action, they have a lasting effect on the organization,” she says.

3. Create psychological safety.

Kevin Oakes, co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Corporate Productivity, says organizations looking to bridge political divides in the workplace can look to the example of Starbucks.

When a racial issue arose in 2018 at one of the coffee chain’s stores in Philadelphia, Starbucks closed all of its stores across the country for an afternoon of racial bias training.

“That created the psychological safety for employees to express their opinions. They did it in a way where people were actually able to listen to those opinions instead of just listening to respond immediately,” he says.

Oakes says those sessions were “very effective overall” and that companies would be well served by creating spaces to have “good internal conversations” about challenging topics, rather than trying to prevent or ignore such discussions.

4. Invest for the future.

Kellerman says that when employers invest in their employees’ career growth through development opportunities, it helps “give people a boost and can keep them focused on the job.” When employees see a path for themselves — and understand that their employer is interested in their growth — they’ll naturally be more focused and motivated, she says.

However, development doesn’t have to be a singular experience, she notes; employers can encourage workers to cross divisions as they work together to grow themselves and the organization.

“It’s harder to get thrown when you have momentum. Imagine the physics: rowing a boat together in the same direction—when you work together for a good rhythm, it’s harder to tip the boat,” she says.

5. Celebrate diversity without division.

At OC Tanner’s employee recognition platform, the organization strives to show workers that diversity matters, says Mindi Cox, director of marketing and people. But when differences begin to divide the workforce, they must be left at the door.

“We always say that the way each individual votes, eats, worships, etc. it’s an important part of who I am, but those topics shouldn’t dominate work-related conversations or decisions,” she says. “First and foremost, we act and behave like dedicated teammates at work, regardless of the jersey we wear outside our walls.”