Published on: March 26, 2026 at 10:21 am
Many companies struggle to create a workspace where employees feel accepted regardless of their political or ideological beliefs.
Academy of Management Scholar Sekou Bermiss of the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School studies how organizational dynamics relate to political ideology, including how comfortable people are about expressing their political beliefs at work—and how bosses and colleagues react when they do.
“Your ideology is about how you think, your ideas about policy and ideals about economics and politics—what is the right way for the world to exist—and that’s a very deeply held belief,” Bermiss said.
“In today’s polarized political landscape, it’s understandable that organizations will have people in it that see the world differently, and so part of having an org where conservatives and liberals both feel accepted is communicating to staff that different viewpoints are welcomed,” he said.
In a culture of ideological inclusivity, there will be differences of opinion. In his research, Bermiss said that one reaction stood out as surprisingly common and hurtful: ridicule.
“Someone states something, and they’re not yelled at, they’re not fired—they’re laughed at,” he said, which can affect the person’s morale and motivation in the workplace.
Instead of ridiculing an opinion different from theirs, Bermiss urges organizations’ leaders and managers to think to themselves, “I don’t know if I agree with your perspective, but I hear what you’re trying to say.”
He suggested thinking before speaking: “Maybe we have other employees who agree with you, customers who agree with you, and suppliers who agree with you, so let me consider that in my decisions around whatever the choice might be.”
Bermiss said that one of the key things organizations’ leaders and managers need to think about is “being accepting and that inclusivity is really pertinent.”
“People want more inclusivity from their employer,” he said.
