Politics Still a Workplace Taboo

The primaries may be a hot topic these days, but not around the water cooler, a survey finds.

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Despite the attention surrounding the presidential primaries, roughly half of American workers prefer to keep their political views to themselves around the office, a recent survey found.

Overall, politics ranked fourth behind religion, office gossip and personal life among top taboo subjects in the workplace, according to a recent survey of more than 550 employees by Adecco USA, a Long Island, N.Y.-based recruiting firm.

While the survey found younger employees were more likely to discuss politics than their older co-workers, the topic nevertheless had an impact on workplace culture among employees of all ages. Up to 39 percent said they were affected by which presidential candidate their boss supported.

"Although the presidential primaries are a hot topic right now, it's important to leave the more heated debates outside of the workplace in order to keep thing professional," Adecco USA's Chief Career Officer Bernadette Kenny said, adding that changes in perceptions based on politics can affect the workplace long after the votes are tallied.

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