Nearly Two-Thirds of U.S. Workers Report Political Conflict at Work, But Half Say Their Company Has No Policy to Address It, Brightmine Research Finds

Election-year strain exposes HR policy gaps as political tension disrupts employee productivity and workplace culture

In an election year marked by major policy shifts and heightened political and economic uncertainty, politics is impacting the workplace. It's shaping how Americans experience their jobs, interact with colleagues and perceive their employers, and yet many organizations lack the guardrails needed to manage its impact.

New research released today by Brightmine, a leading global HR and data insights provider, finds political anxiety and conflict rising across U.S. workplaces – from employee disagreements to friction between employers and their workforces – as organizations attempt to balance culture, compliance and the demands of a fast-changing regulatory landscape. With more than 400 new or revised laws enacted in 2025, HR and business leaders face mounting pressure to address the political, compliance and social factors shaping today's workplace.

The Brightmine commissioned second annual Politics in the Workplace survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, including 1,150 employed Americans, shows how political issues are directly influencing employee productivity, workplace culture and employee-employer contracts. The findings point to a widening gap between the realities of a politically charged work environment and the policy and governance frameworks designed to support it.

Significant findings from the Brightmine survey include:

• Political conflict at work is intensifying: Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. employees have experienced or witnessed a political disagreement at work in the past year. Additionally, 11% say the number of disagreements has escalated and 8% report they have become more hostile or disruptive.
• Politics is impacting job performance: Over a quarter of employed Americans (27%) say the political environment over the past year has distracted them from their jobs, up from 19% last year. Despite this, only 20% say their employer acknowledges the emotional toll of political issues on employees.
• Policy gaps remain with little consensus: Despite rising workplace tension, nearly half (47%) of employed Americans say their workplace has no policy governing political discussions at work. Employees remain divided on whether such policies should exist, with 53% in favor and 47% opposed.
• No clear playbook for leaders: Two in five U.S. employees (40%) believe leaders should remain politically neutral, while nearly as many (38%) believe they should speak out when issues intersect with company values.
• Perception challenges abound: Only 23% of employees believe their company puts people before reputation when navigating politically charged topics. Nearly three in ten say their employer avoids engagement altogether.

"Navigating politics in the workplace has become a multifaceted challenge. As political tension rises, organizations are being tested on how well they understand and support their people," said Amanda Czepiel, JD, U.S. Country Manager and Head of Content at Brightmine. "The solution will look different for every organization, but one thing is clear: leaders should implement clear, enforceable guardrails governing politics in the workplace that are rooted in organizational values, reflective of what matters most to their employees and aligned with the law. Otherwise, there's an enormous risk to culture atrophy and business performance."

The full research findings on how politics are impacting workplace dynamics can be found on the Brightmine website.

About Brightmine

With more than 10,000 customers, Brightmine is a leading, global provider of people data, analytics, and insight – empowering HR leaders to deliver brighter business outcomes. For more than two decades, Brightmine (formerly XpertHR) has helped HR leaders confidently navigate the evolving world of work. Through a unique combination of critical people data, AI-enabled technology and trusted HR expertise, the Brightmine product suite transforms how organizations use data, analytics and insight to reduce risk, improve talent strategies and increase HR impact.

Brightmine is a part of LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, a RELX (NYSE:RELX) business, which provides information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries and employs more than 36,000 people worldwide.

To learn more, visit brightmine.com.

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Katie Johnston

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814-331-2439