People Are Debating This Boss’s New Hiring Rule

Mixing politics and the workplace can get messy fast, and in this chaotic and polarized moment in the US, emotions around this topic are running especially hot. Recently, a hiring manager posted a question about workplace politics for the HR reps of Reddit, and it led to a really interesting conversation.

They wrote in to r/AskHR, saying, “Long story short, I’ve decided to actively discriminate against Trump supporters in the hiring process. I can’t catch them all, but people are being pretty cavalier about praising him on LinkedIn, so that’ll be my guide, I guess. The work my team does requires a level of critical thinking that makes gullibility an incredibly bad trait to have. Additionally, I just don’t want people on my team who hate a country that has given me everything.”

They went on to explain: “I’m not talking about not hiring Republicans or even necessarily people who just voted for Trump because I know a lot of people vote based on complex reasoning. I’m only referring to people who actively post about or vocally support an obvious conman. I just need a higher caliber of person on my team.”

And then they shared their question for HR: “I’m 99% sure political affiliation is not protected by federal or state law, but I’m not 100% certain. Am I wrong in this?”

Here are some of the top comments:

“I would suggest you would be on much firmer ground ethically (ignoring any legal issues) by just excluding candidates whose work-related social media postings are excessively political (or even political at all). Doing so will filter out a certain kind of oversharing personality and should self-select people with a better concept of workplace decorum.”

—alohawolf

“There are no federal protections against this. Your local state or city may have some, though. California, New York, DC, Washington, and Oregon have limiting policies, some before employment and some after. And the federal government has prohibitions against this for federal positions.”

—8ft7

“Political stance is not yet protected, but be careful ’cause it seems to be heading that way. Keep good records on their fuckups, you can play the game they do. You aren’t firing/not hiring them due to supporting Trump. You’re firing/not hiring them because you believe/can show they can’t perform the job duties to the standard you require.”

—InstigatingDergen

“I think you would be much more protected if you documented specific behaviors to justify your decision rather than their political status. Who could object to you declining a candidate who is misaligned with your company values and mission?”

—ejly

“You can disqualify anyone for almost any reason in the interview process. No one needs to know it’s because they’re moronically blasting political views on a job-specific platform. Keep your mouth shut, and keep doing good work, OP!”

—JustFigure2035

“Listen, the MAGA crowd would have no issue in discriminating against me in the hiring process, so fuck ’em. I’m sure someone else will chime in with a real answer, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re in the right, my friend.”

—PaulysDad

And finally, “A small business owner I know went into the parking lot of his business after the election and fired everyone with a Biden or left-leaning bumper sticker on their car. I asked him if he thought he could get sued, and he said he ran it past several attorney friends. So I don’t think there’s a risk. Political affiliation is not a protected class.”

—LolaStrm1970