No workplace politics

If you're burning to know whether your co-worker supports John McCain or Barack Obama, get back to work.

You might satisfy your curiosity. But you could spark havoc that lasts well beyond Election Day, according to experts on business etiquette.

People take their political views personally and can become offended by co-workers who don't share their preferences, said Lynne Breil, founder of The Professional Edge, a York-based etiquette and consulting firm.

"Unless you know someone as intimately as your best friend, do not bring up the subject," Breil said.

You can keep your own mouth shut. But you never know when a colleague, client or manager will open theirs. This year's election is proving particularly contentious.

"The economy is really bad and it really is affecting people and people have very strong opinions on who they think could help," said Barbara Pachter, owner of a business-etiquette training company in New Jersey and author of "The Power of Positive Confrontation."

For those who want to avoid getting drawn in, Pachter recommends several strategies that allow you to move on. They include "remembering" a conference call scheduled to begin soon. (see box for more)

"You don't have to answer every question asked of you," Pachter said.

Some companies don't leave it to chance. About 35 percent of businesses have an official policy restricting political activity in the workplace, according to a survey of 450 employers by the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria, Va.

Employers are within their rights to ban political discussions at work, said Schaun Henry, a partner at Harrisburg law firm McNees Wallace & Nurick. But they might run afoul if they forbid talk of one candidate but not another.

"If nothing else, it doesn't pass the smell test," Henry said

When the presidential race began to heat up in May, Capital Blue Cross ran an article in its employee newsletter reminding people not to inject political commentary into meetings, work-related e-mail and other official communications. It is a courtesy to colleagues who might hold opposing views, said Joseph Butera, a spokesman for the health insurer in Susquehanna Twp....