[throwawayeo5]

Jesus, can people just not talk about politics/religion/sex at work? This isn’t a problem for other work environments. Maybe it’s an age thing? Or maybe it happens when people become too friendly with their coworkers. Either way, I’ve been in that situation recently and it’s not fun. E.g., there are people at work who shitlist you if you support the ACLU, because the ACLU recognizes that our existing first amendment jurisprudence comes from Supreme Court cases involving the KKK’s right to free speech. But there’s a contingent of the left that has a knee-jerk reaction to that, and I work with some of those people.

I also know for a fact there are conservatives at work who are uncomfortable too because they don’t have the majority view, and that’s not okay. You should never feel uncomfortable at work just because you’re in some kind of minority. One real easy way to avoid that is just not talk about politics at work or outside work with your coworkers.

[UncleMeat]

Being able not talk about politics is privilege. When being a trans person who is treated with respect is somehow a political thing or when being an Iranian whose freedom of movement is somehow a political thing then it becomes impossible to leave politics at home. "Hey can I use the women's restroom" is a question that is filled with politics.

[throwawayeo5]

I’m actually gay, but thank you for assuming I don’t struggle with LGBTQ issues. :) Anyway, there is a difference between getting into an argument about socialism (happens at my work) and using the restroom that matches your identity. The former you don’t need, and the latter, at least where I’m at now, nobody would care at all.

And that’s not to say companies can’t make political decisions. Company policy for letting trans people use the restroom that matches their gender identity is fine because it’s not people arguing about Trump during lunch, it’s an official company policy. I just want my coworkers to stop getting into arguments about things that then make it really awkward to work with them.

[goialoq]

UncleMeat didn't assume anything about you.

> just want my coworkers to stop getting into arguments about things that then make it really awkward to work with them.

Things like who is allowed in the women's restroom, perhaps?

[throwawayeo5]

See, that’s the thing: nobody gives a crap who uses which bathroom at work. Really. Nobody argues about that. But arguing about policy or socialism or who is a real communist or not is not work-appropriate.

[GhostVII]

I would imagine that, for the vast majority of people working at Google, politics do not affect their day to day work life, so there is no reason to talk about it. Even with the issue of trans people and bathrooms, as long as there is a company wide policy about how to deal with it, no one needs to worry about it.

[wilde]

How do you avoid talking about politics when the contentious item is a decision that must be made by the company? And this same item is up for debate in tons of industries. Just look at the Oscars.