The heat and smoke that are generated in election years can be matched by employees in the workplace who argue about political candidates and issues.
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Former Google employee Ray Westrick, who was arrested outside of ... [+] Google Cloud Space headquarters in Sunnyvale during a protest and fired by Google, speaks as Pro-Palestinian protesters are gathered outside of the City Hall to protest Google's Project Nimbus and Israeli attacks on Gaza, (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images The heat and smoke that are often generated in the months leading up to a presidential election can be matched by employees in the workplace who argue about the pros and cons of political candidates, officeholders, and hot-button issues. The spillover from civil discussions that escalate into emotional arguments, confrontations and protests can create a crisis for companies by damaging morale, productivity and the retention of employees. In today's polarized political environment, it's not unheard of for workers to protest their company's business activities. That was the case earlier this month when Google fired 28 employees for staging a protest against the company's contract with Israel that it shares with Amazon. In an email statement, a Google spokesperson said the workers were fired for "physically impeding other employees' work and preventing them from accessing our facilities," which is "a clear violation of our policies, and completely unacceptable behavior." The spillover from civil discussions that escalate into emotional arguments, confrontations and ... [+] protests can create a crisis for companies by damaging morale,…