All Americans know they have a Constitutional right to express their political opinions, but not everyone realizes there are common sense limits to these rights--that sometimes this right can cause problems for other employees or (especially!) paying stakeholders or customers who may not share their opinions.
I once worked with a prominent lobbying company that had a major client with which a senior member of the company's staff was in disagreement. That senior professional, on his own time, participated in a protest rally against the client's interests. One way or another the client recognized the person at the rally and they went to the president of the company and asked how he could justify taking their money to represent them and yet have a senior member of his staff protesting against them in private. The choice they gave was that either they took their business elsewhere or that employee was fired. The employee was fired. From the employee's point of view this action violated his right of free speech; but from his employer's point of view (not to mention the client) this was a clear conflict of interest and a basic ethical violation.
While Americans do have an absolute right to voice their political opinions, they do not have an absolute right to work in any organization they want. In this regard, their right to voice their opinions has to be tempered if they know their opinion can cause discomfort to their colleagues--not to mention those who pay their salaries!
This issue can be problematic for managers. Evidence shows that an organization that encourages diversity is stronger than one that does not. But even as managers promote diversity it pays also to spend some time and effort developing and publicizing employee codes of conduct so that all employees understand: 1) how the organization's policy decisions are made; 2) what they can and cannot do should their personal opinions conflict with a policy position the organization has taken; and 3) the dos and don'ts of how they might express their opinions without causing discomfort to fellow employees as well as to stakeholders and customers.
It is wonderfully stimulating to work in an organization that has Republicans and Democrats as well as other diverse interests working side-by-side. Working against your employer's interest, whether outside office hours or not, is just plain suicidal; but without going to this extreme, all employees in an organization should know and respect the difference between harmless expression of opinion and creating an offensive work environment. Managers have a role in setting these limits because, as can be witnessed on the news every night, not everyone can be expected to know how to self-sensor on potentially volatile issues.
