--- title: How to Cut Through Political Tension at Work description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-to-cut-through-political-tension-at-work/ author: Michelle Peng article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-09-27T10:30:00.424Z article:modified_time: 2026-09-25T20:04:09.568Z article:section: Charter og:title: How to Cut Through Political Tension at Work og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. og:url: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-to-cut-through-political-tension-at-work/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb394a4dfe7d7ee58/6ab6d389cdc17a386692e31f/charter-julia-minson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1600 og:image:height: 900 og:image:alt: charter-julia-minson.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Cut Through Political Tension at Work twitter:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb394a4dfe7d7ee58/6ab6d389cdc17a386692e31f/charter-julia-minson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- The information presented here is created by Charter, independently from the TIME editorial staff.  Time charter * [conflict](/partner-content/charter/tag/conflict/) ## conflict # How to Cut Through Political Tension at Work > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=e192cb60-99dc-44ec-bd4d-282c34527750&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=e192cb60-99dc-44ec-bd4d-282c34527750&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1)  by [Michelle Peng](https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/) Sep 27, 2026 10:30 AM UTC  Art: Charter  by [Michelle Peng](https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/) Sep 27, 2026 10:30 AM UTC Tensions from this year’s contentious midterm elections are already spilling into the workplace, with [50% of workers](https://osf.io/sb7mj/files/52fmp) saying they have experienced a disagreement about politics at work within the past month, according to recent [research](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julia-minson-5b511b150%5Fdont-talk-about-money-politics-or-religion-share-7492931649714667520-9sX%5F/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAACI2D5MBps8F-%5FyOwrGD3VzjjMHFaodJM9E). At work, “there used to be a very common prescription that you don’t talk about money, religion, and politics,” says [Julia Minson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-minson-5b511b150/?isSelfProfile=false), a professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School and co-author of the study. That has changed in recent years, however, as remote work gave workers a view into colleagues homes and leaders urged employees to “bring their whole, authentic selves to the workplace,” she says. With voters heading to the polls this week as early voting opens in several states across the US, we reached out to Minson for her insights on rising political tensions in the workplace and advice for navigating conflict from her recent book, [_How to Disagree Better_](https://bookshop.org/a/664/9780593855003)_._ Here are excerpts from our conversation, edited for space and clarity: Sign up for Charter's newsletter to get the handbook for the future of work delivered to your inbox. Email Address You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our [Terms of Service](https://www.charterworks.com/terms-of-service/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.charterworks.com/privacy-policy/). **What does your research reveal about how political disagreement affects the workplace?** In our [research](https://www.dhagmann.com/papers/2024%5Fpersonal%5Fnarratives.pdf), we found that lots of people disagree about politics at work and generally, the effects are negative. They don't want to work on the same team with the person they disagreed with. They would rather not ask them for advice in the future. They might withhold useful information. **How can people have more productive conversations about political differences?** In the workplace, people disagree about all kinds of things. If you think that truth, ethics, morality, and common sense are all on your side, you're going to get just as heated debating about a contract clause as you do about a political topic. It really behooves companies to train people how to disagree well because it affects our ability to collaborate effectively day in and day out, not just in election years. There's two parts to disagreeing well. You have to express your own perspective and you have to listen to the other person, which sounds pretty obvious. What tends to happen is people are hesitant to express their perspectives when they disagree because they don't want to start a bunch of drama, and we tend to be pretty bad at listening because we have our own perspective in our head and we want to advocate for it. Remember that anytime you are confronted with a disagreement, we have this very strong impulse to persuade, and that impulse is often misguided. In the effort of persuading, we forget to understand where they're coming from. If it’s a practical workplace disagreement, that can be costly because understanding might lead to a better decision. Whereas if it's a political discussion, understanding the other person a little better may be the only realistic outcome. I've yet to hear of two colleagues who got into an argument about who voted for whom and anybody changed their mind and anything good happened. **What are concrete practices you recommend when people find themselves in a conflict?** One of the tools in the book is the HEAR framework, which describes how you can show your counterpart that you're considering their point of view even if you disagree. H stands for hedging. It's words like ‘maybe,’ ‘sometimes,’ ‘some people,’ and ‘possibly.’ If I make a very dogmatic statement, the other person naturally wants to argue with me, but if I hedge the statement, then it becomes much harder because I've just demonstrated that I get that it's not a universal truth. I might want to say, ‘Covid vaccines are safe and effective.’ Or I could say, ‘Most physicians tend to believe that Covid vaccines are largely safe and effective.’ E stands for emphasizing agreement. In every disagreement, there's something we can agree on. For example, ‘We both want to get this project finished on time and on budget.’ It's not that I'm ceding my position, but I'm highlighting something that we agree on so that we're reminded that we're on the same side. A stands for acknowledgement. Often, as soon as you stop talking, I start making my argument and it feels like I wasn't really listening. Acknowledgement means taking a few seconds to restate your counterpart's perspective in your own words so that they believe that you were really listening to them. Finally, R stands for reframing to the positive. Avoid negative and contradictory words like ‘no,’ ‘can't,’ ‘won't,’ ‘terrible,’ and ‘hate.’ Reframe it with more positively balanced words. So, ‘I would really appreciate it if we could figure out a way to all go home by six,’ instead of ‘I hate having to work late on an ongoing basis.’ **Read our** [**recent interview**](https://www.charterworks.com/the-healthy-heat-your-team-needs-to-thrive/) **with Priya Parker on managing conflict on the team level and order** **_How to Disagree Better_** **on** [**Amazon**](https://www.amazon.com/How-Disagree-Better-Julia-Minson/dp/0593855000/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.F0NVLpKaCQWATWbM1g-rU9Vy-45Jt6r5n%5Fdg17HjhMWr6RzV3qOotWvTzE9bI6UIF1JicUSmlXe%5FPh449TXlZJkk0yp45VAU6THxhcY67fYEDesIqzItC5LnDXIcsb2-e%5F3etgJEhAGw8OeCZd0llmEzN1RZou2TXEmOPssSe0TTHKIg4NC%5FUtiWFt1tIV8S.sx8v2O3nemvChIDzP4uSGPy1CgdThEOuKsyD59ybjJM&dib%5Ftag=se&hvadid=694400730950&hvdev=c&hvexpln=67&hvlocphy=9030964&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=14839583961896207733--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14839583961896207733&hvtargid=kwd-2480929321638&hydadcr=20370%5F13322215&keywords=how+to+disagree+better+book&mcid=5985eec092b7320ea14428ff92b0978f&qid=1790187449&sr=8-1) **or** [**Bookshop**](https://bookshop.org/a/664/9780593855003)**.** --- ## Read more from Charter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/) [Open article: The ‘Healthy Heat’ Your Team Needs to Thrive](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/the-healthy-heat-your-team-needs-to-thrive/)  ### The ‘Healthy Heat’ Your Team Needs to Thrive [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/the-healthy-heat-your-team-needs-to-thrive/) [Open article: The Key to Constructive Communication on Charged Topics](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6660557/the-key-to-constructive-communication-on-charged-topics/)  ### The Key to Constructive Communication on Charged Topics [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6660557/the-key-to-constructive-communication-on-charged-topics/) [Open article: How to Use Conflict-Resolution Training to Navigate Current Workplace Tensions](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6337832/how-to-use-conflict-resolution-training-to-navigate-current-workplace-tensions/)  ### How to Use Conflict-Resolution Training to Navigate Current Workplace Tensions [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6337832/how-to-use-conflict-resolution-training-to-navigate-current-workplace-tensions/) --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-to-cut-through-political-tension-at-work/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-to-cut-through-political-tension-at-work/"},"headline":"How to Cut Through Political Tension at Work","datePublished":"2026-09-27T10:30:00.424Z","dateModified":"2026-09-25T20:04:09.568Z","description":"Harvard professor Julia Minson on the research behind having more productive disagreements.","url":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-to-cut-through-political-tension-at-work/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb394a4dfe7d7ee58/6ab6d389cdc17a386692e31f/charter-julia-minson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Peng","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/"}],"articleSection":"Charter","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb394a4dfe7d7ee58/6ab6d389cdc17a386692e31f/charter-julia-minson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"charter-julia-minson.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Art: Charter","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-to-cut-through-political-tension-at-work/","name":"How to Cut Through Political Tension at Work"}}]}] ```