Navigating politics in the office it can be complicated— especially during the US electoral cycle that was it deeply polarizing. But now is the time of crisis, and leaders must act accordingly.

Managers and HR are often tasked with leading through tense situations and world events. With the US presidential election just a day away, tensions are boiling on the surface, but there are some safe ways to guide employees through the storm.

wealth spoke with workplace professionals and people management executives to get to the bottom of the best strategies to lead this year’s election. While I agree that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are some key methods to diffuse anxiety and conflict between workers. Experts say leaders should remain neutral, set clear expectations about political discussion in the workplace, allow flexibility during election week, vet staff mental healthand maybe even set up a group activity to promote together.

“There’s a heightened sense of anxiety going into this election,” says Kurt Jeskulski, U.S. regional managing director for the Page Group, a recruiting services company. Wealth. “Everyone is a bit paralyzed waiting to see what happens. So reminding people to be respectful in the workplace and it’s really important that our people feel safe.”

Managers should remain neutral

Experts that wealth spoke in agreement that HR managers and leaders should avoid picking sides when it comes to elections. While employees can talk about the candidates and who they hope will win, the higher-ups should refrain from taking any part due to their relative power status in the company.

“Managers should try to remain neutral because they have influence in these roles,” says Jeskulski. “You’re going to have some employees who feel like they have to be aligned with what the political vision (of management) is.

If bosses support a candidate or are anxious about who they support, it could cause lower-level employees to conform to their beliefs out of fear, says Joe Galvin, director of research at Vistage. wealth. “If you disagree with your boss, will you be denied promotions? Will you be denied good projects? Will it affect your relationship?”

In general, experts say the best course of action is for managers and bosses to listen empathetically to their employees.

“Now is the time to listen,” says Jeskulski. “If you’re willing to listen and show you care, that’s all people want.”

Set up a group activity

Experts say wealth another way to decompress in the middle of a tense election cycle is to bring the workers together in a positive way. Lupiani suggests that managers who lead with empathy, sensitivity, and kindness should strategize for a group activity to drive home that culture of connectivity.

“As a manager, you can build in time on election day for people to practice mindfulness together,” she says. Guided meditation or a themed event where employees can get creative are both examples of activities. “Everyone will be tense, there will be very high emotions. Anything that brings people together in a de-stressed manner would be highly recommended.” she says.

Set clear expectations

If HR leaders haven’t already set an expectation about how to discuss politics in the workplace, then they should immediately hold an all-hands meeting or send an email to reiterate company policies .

“If you haven’t communicated about it yet, the first step is to send an email to all staff. And the next step is to communicate directly with your leaders and management to make these expectations explicit,” said Natalie Lupiani, VP at BSG, a consulting firm. Wealth.

Once the election results are in, there is also the possibility that some staff members will brag about their candidate’s win in a way that makes their colleagues feel uneasy. In this case, HR should intervene.

“If you’re faced with the problem of having an exuberant celebration that makes other people feel uncomfortable, you have to approach (policies) again with empathy and kindness,” Lupiani says. “You have to pull that person aside and remind them that their actions have an impact on the people around them and they have to be aware and sensitive to other people’s feelings as well.”

It allows employees flexibility

Business leaders should allow for increased scheduling flexibility during election week.

“To begin with, everyone should have the right to take off for a few hours to go to the polls. That puts some people’s minds at ease,” says Jeskulski.

And while some companies are giving employees part or all of Election Day off to go vote, they should also consider that workers may need time to take care of themselves mentally. Lupiani says employers can show they care by giving stressed workers time off to relax. She points out that this is not a ubiquitous practice among employers, but that it should be.

“I personally think it should be common to allow people to take time off to process their emotions when they’re in a crisis,” she says. “My recommendation is to be very lenient in how you apply your leave policies around this type of significant event.”

Check your sanity

At the end of the day, the emotional security of employees should come first. Politics can greatly affect people’s mental health – about 77% of Americans are stressed by the future of the country and 69% are particularly worried about the presidential elections in 2024, according to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association.

“The election is responsible for increasing loneliness among American workers across industries and sectors,” says Lupiani. “And that frequency of how often they feel lonely at work because of the election is higher. Leadership has to play a very strong role in this.”

Galvin adds that this anxiety and poor mental health it’s likely to reverberate well beyond Tuesday — after all, final election results have dragged on for days in the past. Therefore, it is important that HR managers and leaders remain steadfast in their strategies and cultivate the best possible work environment for the entire week.

“It is unlikely that we will have a clear winner on Tuesday night like in the last election. It will probably last,” says Galvin. “The anxiety you’re going to feel on Election Day will grow and grow the longer this goes on. There’s a whole world that vibrates around that and we have to put that out there and work on focusing on being better as an organization.”

This story was originally presented on Fortune.com