Featuring scholarly and practitioner insights from HR and people leaders, industry experts, and researchers.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Kristina Wright about being more human in the hiring process. Kristina Wright is a senior leader in higher education and career development, dedicated to ensuring every student has an accessible path to a fulfilling career. As the Director of Career & Professional Development at the Gies College of Business, she leads an integrated team focused on implementing the Career Ecosystem Framework—a structured model that moves beyond "career everywhere" as a concept by embedding career readiness across curriculum, student experiences, and employer partnerships. Under her leadership, classroom integration has expanded by 60%, curriculum has been aligned with labor market insights, and equitable access to career education has been scaled to serve all 3,900 students. With a data-informed, innovative approach that leverages AI resources, competency-based learning, and deep corporate engagement, Kristina is reshaping how institutions prepare students for the evolving world of work.

Abstract: Political polarization has become a persistent feature of American working life, and the approach of the November 2026 midterm elections renews the question of how leaders should respond. This article synthesizes research on political expression, affective polarization, and political spillover at work. Recent longitudinal evidence shows that political news consumed outside work shapes engagement and helping through anxiety and hope, while discussions with chosen coworkers can support emotional wellbeing. Survey data indicate that political disagreement and election-related stress are common and are linked to incivility, distraction, and avoidance of colleagues. The article reviews consequences for performance, retention, legal exposure, and individual wellbeing, then presents five evidence-based responses: conduct-focused and viewpoint-neutral expression policies, manager capability to facilitate and de-escalate, civility infrastructure, legal literacy with consistent enforcement, and support for civic participation and wellbeing. Documented organizational experiences illustrate each response. The article concludes that organizations fare best when they regulate conduct rather than belief and build durable capacity for civil disagreement.

Political polarization heavily impacts modern American workplaces, particularly around election seasons, triggering widespread stress, incivility, and drops in employee engagement. Because employees frequently carry external political anxiety into their jobs, total bans on political discussion often backfire and damage organizational trust. Instead of suppressing personal beliefs, effective leaders should regulate disruptive conduct rather than restricting speech, while actively training managers to de-escalate conflicts. Furthermore, companies must build sustainable civility infrastructure and maintain a thorough understanding of labor laws regarding employee expression. Ultimately, organizations thrive best when they protect psychological safety, shield talent decisions from political bias, and offer genuine support for employee wellbeing and civic participation.

Political polarization heavily impacts modern American workplaces, particularly around election seasons, triggering widespread stress, incivility, and drops in employee engagement. Because employees frequently carry external political anxiety into their jobs, total bans on political discussion often backfire and damage organizational trust. Instead of suppressing personal beliefs, effective leaders should regulate disruptive conduct rather than restricting speech, while actively training managers to de-escalate conflicts. Furthermore, companies must build sustainable civility infrastructure and maintain a thorough understanding of labor laws regarding employee expression. Ultimately, organizations thrive best when they protect psychological safety, shield talent decisions from political bias, and offer genuine support for employee wellbeing and civic participation.

Political polarization heavily impacts modern American workplaces, particularly around election seasons, triggering widespread stress, incivility, and drops in employee engagement. Because employees frequently carry external political anxiety into their jobs, total bans on political discussion often backfire and damage organizational trust. Instead of suppressing personal beliefs, effective leaders should regulate disruptive conduct rather than restricting speech, while actively training managers to de-escalate conflicts. Furthermore, companies must build sustainable civility infrastructure and maintain a thorough understanding of labor laws regarding employee expression. Ultimately, organizations thrive best when they protect psychological safety, shield talent decisions from political bias, and offer genuine support for employee wellbeing and civic participation.

Political polarization heavily impacts modern American workplaces, particularly around election seasons, triggering widespread stress, incivility, and drops in employee engagement. Because employees frequently carry external political anxiety into their jobs, total bans on political discussion often backfire and damage organizational trust. Instead of suppressing personal beliefs, effective leaders should regulate disruptive conduct rather than restricting speech, while actively training managers to de-escalate conflicts. Furthermore, companies must build sustainable civility infrastructure and maintain a thorough understanding of labor laws regarding employee expression. Ultimately, organizations thrive best when they protect psychological safety, shield talent decisions from political bias, and offer genuine support for employee wellbeing and civic participation.

This research examines how artificial intelligence adoption generates widespread workplace anxiety about job and occupation obsolescence, ultimately undermining employee conduct and organizational commitment. Research demonstrates that the fear of technological replacement triggers moral disengagement, leading to counterproductive behaviors and diminished psychological well-being, particularly in highly exposed industries. To counter these negative outcomes, the research argues that leadership action is essential through transparent communication, credible reskilling and redeployment pathways, fair transition processes, and worker involvement in deployment decisions. Furthermore, organizations must track insecurity metrics and establish strong ethical climates paired with clear standards to maintain trust. Ultimately, successfully navigating the AI transition requires leaders to reshape the psychological contract so that continuous technological change is met with sustainable workforce security.

This research examines how artificial intelligence adoption generates widespread workplace anxiety about job and occupation obsolescence, ultimately undermining employee conduct and organizational commitment. Research demonstrates that the fear of technological replacement triggers moral disengagement, leading to counterproductive behaviors and diminished psychological well-being, particularly in highly exposed industries. To counter these negative outcomes, the research argues that leadership action is essential through transparent communication, credible reskilling and redeployment pathways, fair transition processes, and worker involvement in deployment decisions. Furthermore, organizations must track insecurity metrics and establish strong ethical climates paired with clear standards to maintain trust. Ultimately, successfully navigating the AI transition requires leaders to reshape the psychological contract so that continuous technological change is met with sustainable workforce security.