Hispanics at Work: Don't Talk Politics, but Won't Work for a Boss Who Doesn't Share Their Views: Survey

Politics has become ever-present in most aspects of life, the workplace being one in which it has gained significant relevance. A new survey from Glassdoor has revealed its extent in the U.S. and anticipates it will only grow as the 2024 presidential elections get closer.

The study shows that 61 percent of workers have discussed politics with colleagues at work over the past 12 months, and that younger generations are "more likely to expect that their employers be vocal on current political issues."

As for Hispanics, the stood out from other demographics in different categories. Among them: daily conversations about politics, being comfortable working with colleagues and potential senior executives who hold very different political views than theirs, as well as feeling supported when the company takes a public stance on issues they care about.

When it comes to the first issue, Hispanics were the least likely ethnic group to have discussed politics with their colleagues over the past 12 months. 59 percent of respondents did so, compared with 61 percent of Whites and 64 percent of Blacks. As for age groups, Gen Z members were the most likely to have done so, with 64 percent, and Baby Boomers the least likely with 57 percent.

Hispanics were also the least comfortable working with colleagues who had very different political views from their own, with 79 percent of respondents. The figure was 88 percent for Blacks and 84 percent for Whites. Hispanics' was the second-lowest figure of all categories, which included age, sex and political affiliation. Only Gen Zs reported lower levels of comfort in this scenario.

The survey showed Hispanics to be "the most sensitive to the politics of their company's senior executives." "49 percent of Hispanic workers would not apply to open roles and 47 percent would consider leaving a job if their company's CEO supported a political candidate who they did not agree with. Among Black workers, the shares are 39 percent and 34 percent respectively. Among white workers, 31 percent would not apply to open roles and 25 percent would consider leaving a job if their company's CEO supported a political candidate who they did not agree with," reads a passage of the survey.

These low levels of comfort regarding the aforementioned topics contrast with the feeling of being supported when their companies take a public stance on issues they care about: 69 percent said this was the case for them, the same amount as Blacks and 9 percentage points more than Whites. Overall, of all groups surveyed, only Gen Zs and Millennials in age groups (71 and 70 percent, respectively) and Democrats in political affiliation (78 percent) saw larger numbers.

However, the study also found that less than half of all polled at a general level (45 percent) think that employers should take public stances on important current political issues such as abortion, immigration, or LGBTQ rights. Hispanics were slightly above average in this answer with 51 percent supporting companies doing so, compared with 64 percent of Blacks and 38 percent of Whites.