Cafeteria spaces can act as vital places to connect socially at work
As Americans endure a flurry of political ads, Facebook posts, and cable news commentary typical of election-year politics, workplaces often go unnoticed as vital places of respite from political divisiveness. However, it is imperative that employers promote a sense of community through the design and management of workplace experiences if these environments are to remain neutral grounds for bringing divided Americans together after everyone’s votes are cast.
In the midst of extreme political polarization in the U.S., workplaces can offer unique and beneficial spaces for people to come together. It is here that individuals with diverse political worldviews can identify with a shared mission, find common ground, and accomplish goals as a team. As people increasingly self-select communities of like-minded individuals in their neighborhoods, schools, places of worship, and digital social circles, they must also contend with coworkers whose beliefs they may not share.
In his 2000 book Bowling Alone, Harvard University professor and political scientist Robert Putnam introduced the term “bridging social capital” to........