The last few years have been nothing if not interesting politically, and there is a strong sense that people are more engaged than they have been for a while.  Alas, they also seem more divided than in living memory, and so a good number of people will have supported a candidate, party or cause that has lost out at the polls.

A recent study from the University of Waterloo suggests that losing out in this way can have a negative impact upon your performance at work.  The research examined workplace performance after the latest United States presidential election, and found both employee engagement and performance were affected if the employee ended up on the losing side of the vote.

“This study demonstrates that spillover is not limited to fairly stable environmental features or day-to-day events.” the researchers reveal. “Instead, discrete events like presidential elections can also impact the workplace.”

Political fallout

Volunteers in the research were asked to rate their levels of engagement and performance at work both a week before the election, the day after it, and a week after the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016.

When the data was analyzed, it emerged that employees from both political camps were equally engaged at work in the week prior to the election.  In the immediate aftermath however, Clinton supporters reported a sharp drop in both their engagement and performance levels.  It should be said that these effects were pretty short-lived, and after a week had passed, things had largely returned to normal again.

Even so however, the researchers estimate that this week long lull in productivity was enough to have cost the US economy around $700 million.  It’s also worth noting that whilst Clinton voters were disengaged after the vote, Trump supporters didn’t seem to see a corresponding boost in their own engagement and performance levels.

“Our results suggest employers may be wise to avoid scheduling important tasks or meetings immediately after an election,” the researchers say. “It may be especially important to clearly communicate work goals during the days immediately following an election in order to keep employees on track and motivated.”

Whilst political campaigns are often irregular and don’t happen that often, the researchers believe that the findings could be replicated for other major public events, especially if people have a strong identity that is connected to whomever they’re supporting.  All of which is perhaps food for thought for managers looking to get the best from their team.