Employees Shouldn't Be Guaranteed a Workplace Devoid of Differing Political Views, Says ACLU's Brown
GoLocalProv News Team
Employees Shouldn't Be Guaranteed a Workplace Devoid of Differing Political Views, Says ACLU's Brown
The memo, which cited some recently reported political conversations among employees as creating "tension and undue stress," told city workers to inform HR if they are part of, or witness, a conversation that makes them "uncomfortable."
SEE FULL MEMO BELOW
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"The memo goes confusingly astray by implying that any political conversations at work are problematic. Government work is inherently political to some degree, and if some people want to swap differing political views at the water cooler in a socially distant manner, they should be able to do so without fear of punishment," said Brown.
"Unlawful harassment can take many forms and should be addressed, but policies aimed at stifling pure speech, even in the workplace, should be more carefully crafted to avoid confusion and over-reaching," he said. "City employees should not be guaranteed a workplace devoid of differing political views and conversation."
"I think the general thrust of the memo is appropriate," Brown said. "It's hard to argue about asking employees to behave professionally, and harassment in the workplace is a real problem.
Full Memo
The following was sent from the City of Providence HR Department on Wednesday, January 27.
Dear colleagues,
As you’re undoubtedly aware, recent events in the US have exposed the deep political divide that exists between people of varying ideologies. The violence and civil unrest we have witnessed over the past year have been a tangible reminder that communication and understanding among differing groups in the US is at a very low ebb at this moment in history.
As public servants, it is our responsibility to engage professionally and courteously with both constituents and colleagues who exhibit a great diversity of experience, opinions, and values, which may differ greatly from our own personal beliefs. This diversity represents a great opportunity for us, as City employees, to model positive behaviors when interacting with people who might think and believe very differently from us.
Unfortunately, it has recently come to our attention that, increasingly, certain workplace conversations, in particular conversations political in nature, have been responsible for creating tension and undue stress for some employees in the workplace. This is simply unacceptable. City employees are expected to always conduct themselves professionally, and in a way which respects the diversity of experience and opinion in our communities, and among our workforce. Discussions among colleagues in the workplace must always serve to further our common goals as a City. There is no room, and will be no tolerance, for conversation which promotes or leads to divisiveness, or which fosters hate.
The Department of Human Resources works to ensure a healthy, productive work environment in which no individual feels intimidated, threatened, harassed, or diminished. We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for all City employees and will act swiftly to mitigate speech which is hateful or disparaging in tone or content.
You can help the HR team to accomplish this goal by reaching out if you experience, witness, or otherwise encounter a conversation or other situation which makes you, or could make others, uncomfortable. Olayinka Oredugba, the City’s Deputy Director of Equity, may be reached at [email protected] or 401-680-5250. The City also offers employees a no-cost Employee Assistance Program through Aetna Resources for Living (1-833-327-2386), where they may speak to crisis and trauma counselors trained to assist employees experiencing emotional distress as this volatile time.