Citizens across the United States are preparing to cast their ballot on Tuesday, November 8 and bring an end to what has been a very contentious Presidential election. While there are dozens of foreign and domestic policies to consider, CareerBuilder asks one important question: “If you had to choose, which candidate would you like to be your boss?”
According to a new survey, 57% of workers say they would prefer to work for the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton—while the remaining 43% say they would like businessman Donald Trump as a boss.
Hillary Clinton was firmly preferred by women in the survey with 62% saying they would prefer the former Senator as a boss. Men were tighter in their decision between candidates, with an even split between Clinton and Trump.
The national study was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from August 11 to September 7, 2016 and included a representative sample of 3,133 full-time workers in the private sector across industries and company sizes.
Candidate/Boss Preference by Race
Each candidate has fought to secure votes from members of every racial background throughout the election season. But, which candidate would each demographic prefer to report to at work?
Fifty-two percent of workers that identify as Caucasian would like Donald Trump as their boss. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton was the preferred choice among African American (87%), Hispanic (79%), and Asian (78%) professionals.
Candidate/Boss Preference by Industry
Creating a stable economy that brings fruitful job growth is also a tenet to any great candidacy. Presidential hopefuls address various industries throughout their campaign speeches to garner support. A larger proportion of workers in the manufacturing industry would prefer to work for Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton. However, Secretary Clinton was favored in the other industries in the survey.
| Industry | Hillary Clinton | Donald Trump |
| Health Care | 63% | 37% |
| Retail | 58% | 42% |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 52% | 48% |
| IT | 58% | 42% |
| Manufacturing | 45% | 55% |
| Financial Services | 60% | 40% |
| Transportation | 52% | 48% |
How to Handle Talking Politics in the Workplace
“Employees may be tempted to openly discuss the coming election over the next few days, and we all know that politics in particular can lead to some pretty heated conversations,” says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder, in a press release. “Keep topics fair and respectful to others—especially those that may be within earshot and not directly involved in the discussion.”
Haefner provides some other tips for political chit-chat in the office:
- Recognize there’s a thin line between freedom of expression and a potential source of conflict. Consider providing respect and dignity behavioral training to all employees and emphasize tolerance for different ideas, beliefs, and needs.
- Ensure your harassment policies and harassment complaint system are posted and that employees are trained in the process. Similarly, make sure employees are aware of any guidelines that prohibit bringing campaign materials into the office.
- Create a culture of open dialogue and mutual respect, but if conversations do turn heated, encourage employees to walk away.