Election loss can be distracting for employees

WATERLOO — Scheduling important work meetings or tasks right after an election is best avoided, according to a University of Waterloo study.

The day after an election can be especially tough for employees who voted for the losing side, hampering their engagement and performance at work.

“Be aware your employees might be a little off that day,” said James Beck, a psychology professor at Waterloo.

Beck and fellow Waterloo psychology professor Winny Shen studied American voters around the 2016 U.S. presidential election, asking them to rate their job engagement and performance the week before the election, the day after, and then a week later.

Before the election, both sets of voters were equally engaged in their work.

The effect on those who voted for Hillary Clinton immediately following the election was profound, as they reported a large decrease in both engagement and performance. “It had a big impact on people,” Beck said.

But the effect was short lived.

“We measured a week later and everyone was back to normal,” he said.

Still, the researchers estimated that could have resulted in US$700 million in lost productivity the day following the election.

Beck said they expected to find that people who voted for the winner would be energized and happy the next day while those who voted for the losing candidate would be distracted and less engaged. That was true of those who voted for Clinton, “but the Trump voters didn’t show a positive effect,” he said.

Beck speculated that a similar effect on workplace performance could be found with other major public events, such as the Super Bowl. The key seems to be that a person’s identity is wrapped up in the event. “I think it has to have these personal ties,” Beck said.

That’s certainly true of an election to pick the country’s next president or leader. “That’s your team and it’s really a part of your identity,” Beck said. “It’s personal to so many people.”

Most research looks at how family and other personal issues affect the workplace, but less is known about the effect of discrete events such as elections. A previous study after the 2012 election found Republicans suffered a low mood after Barack Obama was re-elected.

“It can have this sort of dramatic effect,” Beck said. “I don’t think it’s a Donald Trump effect.”

For employers, Beck recommends being clear about goals and offering performance feedback right after an election — and postponing anything too important. “A day or two seems reasonable.” The study appeared in Applied Psychology: An International Review.