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While At Work, It's Best To Stay Away From Politics

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Published: October 13, 2008

TAMPA - In public, some topics should be off-limits. Sex, for example. Or religion. Or the 2000 NFC Championship game unless you are willing to concede Bert Emanuel caught that ball.

Another is politics, especially in a presidential election year. And even more especially in an election year like this election year. People are testy.

"Political discourse has changed over the years until now it is more about emotional connections with candidates than it is about the actual positions of candidates," said Elizabeth Bird, a professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida. "And so when you attack a candidate, it is like you are attacking the person."

In private you can say what you please, but the office is different. In her new book, "The Power of Positive Confrontation," etiquette expert Barbara Pachter warns political conversations "can easily escalate into arguments ... you may say something that insults your co-worker."

Bruce Weinstein, who writes "The Ethics Guy" column for Business Week, noted that political talk leads to expressing differing opinions, and that's bad news if that dissenting opinion comes from your boss.

Really, the only "do" when it comes to talking politics in the office is "do shut up." Most people who bring up politics are looking for validation or argument. But if you get pulled into a political conversation, here are some "don'ts" based on suggestions from Bird, Pachter, Weinstein and our own experiences.

• Don't ask co-workers who they plan to vote for. You might as well ask how much money they make.

• Don't mock the way someone else is going to vote. As Bird notes, this is like mocking the person.

• Don't say anything negative about candidates unless you spread it evenly, such as saying, "both candidates are disappointing."

• Don't say anything positive, either, unless you spread it evenly and keep it benign: "They both wore great ties at the debate."

• Don't be afraid to simply say: "You know what? I'm not comfortable talking about this at work." Then walk away. Quickly.

Reporter Kevin Walker can be reached at (813) 259-7975.

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