With the midterm elections around the corner, political anxiety is in season—and productivity could pay the price.
A new study from researchers at Texas A&M University shows that consuming political news and social media outside of work affects employees’ emotional states and workplace behavior, even if they aren’t discussing politics at the water cooler.
Researchers tracked more than 300 workers over nine weeks during the 2024 presidential primary season, asking them to report how often they consumed political information, whether they viewed it as positive or negative, and how engaged, anxious, hopeful, and helpful they felt at work.
During weeks when workers consumed political information that they perceived as negative, they tended to report higher anxiety and lower engagement. During weeks when they consumed more political news that they saw as positive, they reported stronger engagement and greater willingness to help coworkers.
The takeaway is that the broader political environment affects the workplace even when politics aren’t directly discussed at the office.
“Political information is designed to capture attention and provoke emotional reactions,” the study’s lead author, Ian Hughes, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, said in a statement. “Those reactions don’t necessarily disappear once people close an app or turn off the TV.”
Organizations should be aware that employees are often dealing with additional stress during election season, he added.
“Political information has emotional consequences,” he said. “Those emotions can affect other parts of life, and that includes work.”
The study recommends that organizations provide mental health resources and support for stress management. Managers can reduce political stress by providing time off for voting or encouraging volunteering, which can increase employees’ sense of agency and control.
Workers should also engage in leisure and recovery activities, pursue “resource-building” practices such as mindfulness, gratitude, and sleep, and take breaks from media consumption.
