Have you ever gotten into an argument with a co-worker over politics? 

Survey data suggests that people are talking about politics at work more often than ever before. The distractions, turnover risk and even absenteeism caused by political disagreement at work could potentially cost companies millions. But if employers craft appropriate engagement strategies around political and social issues, they can not only avoid a crisis—they can see a sizable payoff, with gains in employees’ connection to colleagues and willingness to stay with a company. 

Those in HR and corporate consulting recommend making sure managers at all levels are well equipped to moderate conflicts and to keep the worst versions of political discourse out of the workplace. Set clear guidelines and hold people accountable, they say. 

A panel featuring medical, legal and social psychology experts will dig into the risky business of talking politics at work. 

Stephen M. Paskoff, president and CEO of ELI^®, helps organizations align behaviors with their stated mission, vision, and values to establish a respectful, welcoming and inclusive workplace. Paskoff is a nationally recognized authority on workplace legal issues and has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, CNBC, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Fox News, Forbes, Fortune and Inc. Magazine. He has also been cited or appeared in a multitude of HR and legal industry publications. 

Paskoff graduated from Hamilton College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and is also the author of Civility Rules! A New Business Approach to Boosting Results and Cutting Risks (2016).

Gabriella is BetterUp’s Chief Innovation Officer and leader of BetterUp Labs, a ground-breaking interdisciplinary research lab that leverages the latest methods and technologies across organizational psychology, behavioral neuroscience, clinical psychology, social psychology, AI, and experience design to better understand and accelerate human flourishing. 

Gabriella is an MD with honors from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University. She completed her internship in psychiatry at UCSD and holds a California physician's license. Gabriella was awarded Harvard's Captain Jonathan Fay Prize; Hoopes Prize; Rothschild Prize; and Joseph Garrison Parker Prizes for her research.

A social psychologist and an award-winning researcher and teacher, Kurt Gray uses interdisciplinary methods to study our deepest held beliefs and how to bridge moral divides. He is the author of the upcoming book Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, coming out in January 2025. 

Dr. Gray directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Organizational Behavior at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC, where he teaches about organizational ethics and team processes. Dr. Gray received his PhD from Harvard University.

Jim Link is the CHRO for SHRM.  With more than 325,000 members worldwide, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace. Jim holds undergraduate and master’s degree from Murray State University.  Born and raised on a working family farm in western Kentucky, he currently resides in Atlanta and Alexandria, VA. Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Executive MBA program at the University of Poznan (Poland) School of Economics and Business and the University of Liège (Belgium) Asia-Pacific campus in Taipei, Taiwan.

Michael Franklin serves as the Executive Director of Speechwriters of Color, a global community of expert and aspiring communicators founded in 2020. Michael is also the Founder and Chief Thought Leadership Officer of Words Normalize Behavior LLC (WNB), a Black and Gen Z-owned and certified LGBT Business Enterprise by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). 

A proud graduate of Howard University, Michael has established himself as a credible leader in executive communications and strategic engagement. Michael’s thought leadership and perspective can be found in the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, CNN, Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, Axios, and the Los Angeles Times.