A majority of American workers oppose a ban on political discussions in the workplace.

• Nearly half of American workers surveyed by CNBC and SurveyMonkey would prefer to avoid political discussions at work if given the option.
• As more workers are returning to the office, the debate over what's appropriate for office conversations continues, with 82% of workers spending most or all of their time on a job site, according to a survey.
• Workers aged 18 to 24 are the least likely to prefer keeping politics out of the workplace.

American workers are increasingly frustrated with office politics.

In a time when more employees have become confident in challenging their bosses about politics, such as the recent Google worker protests and arrests, nearly half of American workers surveyed by CNBC and SurveyMonkey would back a prohibition on political discussions at work.

Out of all workers surveyed, 47% chose politics as the topic they would most like to ban from being discussed at work, which is four times higher than the percentage of workers who chose pop culture (12%), AI (10%), and sports (9%), according to the bi-annual CNBC | SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey.

The survey reveals that younger workers are less hesitant to engage in political discussions, with 41% of Gen Z workers saying they would not bar any political discussions at work. This is lower than the percentage of millennial workers (46%), Gen X workers (52%), and boomers (49%). Specifically, 18-24-year-olds are even less likely to bar political discussions, with a corresponding figure of 39%.

A survey found that the youngest workers are more likely to lack enthusiasm for their current work roles, a trend known as "resenteeism" at work.

"Lara Belonogoff, senior director of brand management and research at SurveyMonkey, stated that the findings reveal the evolving U.S. workforce and the growing gap between how workers work and how they prefer to work. This gap, along with the unique behaviors of Gen Z to value meaningful work and embrace politics in the workplace, may indicate a generational shift in workplace culture. For businesses to attract, retain, and motivate their employees, it is essential to comprehend these changes."

A national sample of 5,993 workers in the United States participated in an online poll conducted by CNBC and SurveyMonkey from April 3 to 5.

A 2022 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 26% of workers experienced positive and negative treatment at work related to politics, compared to 11% in 2019.

While workers have First Amendment protections outside of the workplace, they do not have the same level of protection inside, and employers can impose "reasonable restrictions" on political discussions during work hours.

Discussions about work conditions are a separate legal matter. According to the National Labor Relations Act, Section 7, employees have the right to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions, and speech restrictions do not automatically apply during break periods or in break rooms.

A recent survey by ResumeHelp found that half of workers believe political conversations harm the workplace and avoid them, while 45% regret having them. Younger workers are more likely to engage in political discussions in the office and feel comfortable doing so, according to the survey.

A CNBC survey revealed that party identification influences the level of support for a workplace ban on politics, with Republicans being the least likely to support it at 42%, while Independents and Democrats were more likely to cite politics as their choice.

The study found that women were slightly more likely to voice support for a ban on political talk at work than men. White and Black Americans showed the highest levels of support for a ban, with 49% each. However, among decision-makers such as C-suite executives, owners, and vice presidents, support was lower at 39%, compared to managers at 48% and individual contributors at 49%.

The percentage of workers who are fully remote has decreased from 20% to 16% over the past two surveys, while 82% of workers say they are back in the office fully or most of the time, with most workers (70%) being content with this work schedule.