Thompson Coburn partner Kacey Riccomini recently joined the Good Morning, HR podcast with Mike Coffey to discuss managing political and social speech in the workplace in a time of heightened political division and social tension. They discuss legal protections for political speech under federal and California state laws; when political speech becomes discriminatory or creates a hostile work environment; the limitations of First Amendment protections in private workplaces; and more.
Kacey explained that an employee’s opinions become a concern when they express incendiary views that violate workplace laws like Title VII and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which protect employees from discrimination. “Some statements being made in the political realm wouldn’t be appropriate at work, and that’s where we run into these issues,” said Kacey.
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