Thanks to Lisa Cullen at Time’s Work in Progress blog for pointing out a recent survey by Harris Interactive for The Marlin Company.  According to the findings, nearly one out of four (24%) U.S. workers believe their top managers are openly expressing their political preferences at work. Those age 18 to 34 were more likely (33%) to say they have managers who made it clear which political candidates they preferred, compared to 16% of those age 50 or older.

The survey showed that political talk at work can make some employees uncomfortable. Over a quarter (26%) of those polled said they do not fit in with their company's culture in terms of politics. However, men were more likely to say they fit in the company culture, with 75% indicating so, compared to 64% of women.

The researchers found generational differences between younger and older workers regarding talking politics at work. Younger employees (age 18 to 34) were more likely to be comfortable sharing their political views (76%), compared to 64% of those age 50 or older. Younger employees were also more likely (84%) than older workers (68%) to say they were comfortable telling their boss which candidates they support.

My two cents on this: regardless of how old you are and whether you’re the boss or not, you generally shouldn’t be talking about politics at work.  A few of my colleagues learned that lesson the hard way during the 2004 presidential campaign, when they assumed that just because 80% of Chicago was voting for Kerry, they could openly Bush Bash.  Some people found themselves in hot water by offending one conservative manager.

Unless you’re best friends with the people you work with, a good rule of thumb is to steer clear of talking about anything you wouldn’t discuss with your religious officiant or your grandmother – namely, sex, drugs, and politics.  Unless you have a very specific type of job, these subjects shouldn’t be relevant, and by bringing them up you have a better chance of hurting your reputation than helping it.