This Patient Demanded to Know a Staff Member’s Political Views

SETH PULLED INTO the parking lot at work and slammed on his brakes to avoid an irate driver who seemed to be yelling at nobody. As he passed the car, he glanced in his rearview mirror and noticed the abundance of decals on the trunk of the man’s car. He walked into the clinic and was greeted by his co-worker, Rose, who had an alarmed look on her face, “Boy, did you miss an exciting morning — I think it’s a full moon…”

“No kidding, I just saw a man in the parking lot seemingly yelling at nobody,” Seth replied.

Rose blurted, “Well, if it happened to be an older gentleman in a hat, he is the patient who just left here, and not
quietly.”

“Haha, that’s the guy!” Seth added, “What happened?”

“He was complaining about the healthcare system and then went down a rabbit hole about November’s election,” Rose said.

Seth replied, “You always get interesting characters early in the morning — I’m glad I’m the closer.”

“I don’t mind when patients express their opinions or go on a rant, but he didn’t want me to help him until I told him who I was going to vote for.” Rose added, “I just kept reiterating that my political beliefs do not affect the care that he receives while in our office. He said that because he told me who he was voting for, I was avoiding answering because I must not be voting for the same person.”

“Oh boy…” Seth continued, “We’ve all had those types of patients. Well, I know he stormed out of here; how did the conversation end?”

“I told him that if he was uncomfortable working with me, I could get a different staff member, but that all our employees remain neutral towards religion and politics within these four walls so we can help all walks of life.” Rose concluded, “He wasn’t having it so he started on a new rant about how we are the ‘type of people’ who are the problem with this country and then he stormed out.”

“So sorry that went down, but it sounds like you handled it very well,” Seth responded.

Rose replied, “It always sucks when you are just trying to help someone.”

“Odd three-degrees of separation, but I recently saw a news story that said road rage incidents are higher among drivers with multiple bumper stickers, than those without — I’d say this is one of those cases,” Seth said, trying to inject some humor into the conversation.

Rose joked, “No kidding, the next time I see a patient come in wearing a ‘Vote for So and So’ shirt or a politically charged hat, I’m running out the back door.”

Marisol R.
Charlotte, NC

I’ve been in these situations numerous times. I’m very strict with not talking about sex, politics, or religion at work. Whether with a coworker or a patient. They are all very personal topics of discussion and have nothing to do with the care I am providing. I believe we should remain neutral whenever possible with personal opinions. I just respectfully decline to answer, and move on with the conversation at hand, on how I can be of service to the individual. My company has a very strict written policy on these kinds of conversations and employees must abstain from engaging in them.

Chris D.
Tampa, FL

She handled it well. If anyone wishes to not disclose their personal voting or political and religious beliefs then the standard answer should be, “I exercise my first amendment right to free speech and to decide what I do and do not disclose. My vote is private and I cast it secretly as the Constitution protects.” If that doesn’t shut it down quickly then take it up to the next level to back you. If you are the next level, you can take that person aside and ask that they respect individual rights and honor the answer given or they are welcome to make whatever assumptions they would like and either do business or not.

Deborah T.
Austin, TX

I believe she handled it in a proper manner. No need to discuss politics nor religion with anyone, no matter what place you find yourself in. She could’ve told him that she was there to help him with his office visit needs and nothing else. If she would’ve discussed her opinions on politics, the patient may have become more upset if she didn’t agree with his political party. The best thing to do is to try to get the patient out of the office as quickly as possible.

Kelsey B.
Winston Salem, NC

In this scenario it’s better to remain neutral and calm, while trying to continue with care. We have had an incident where a patient pressed a team member about their religion to the point the team member did respond honestly — then she was handed a card about the rapture and how she’s going to hell. She loves that card; she keeps it in her wallet now! Luckily the patient wasn’t aggressive.

Morgan D.
Carmi, IL

Answering that question honestly — no matter the answer — would not be helpful for the situation. You would’ve been met with rage or with potential slander to other patients around or co-workers who are “for” the other candidate. NOT worth it.
I strongly agree with holding onto neutral ground. Nobody needs to know your religious or political beliefs unless they’re your family or friends.

We don’t have a protocol, but we also highly stress respecting co-workers and patients alike. So, if employees want to share that personal part of their lives, they can, but not in a disrespectful way. Thankfully it hasn’t been a problem before! We have had patients speak aggressively about political candidates, but the employees try to redirect the conversation as best they can.

Rick R.
Girard, PA

Even if she agreed with this person’s choice there surely would have been follow-up questions.
There are times I have had to bite my tongue in two to refrain from saying something, but this is a business, not a debate hall.
Being a small office in a small town we have encountered very few situations of that nature so a protocol is not required. But I have run across hats and T-shirts that have tested my will and faith in humanity. (Not seriously but close.)

Jennifer L.
Dansville, NY

I agree with the way the situation was handled. We diffuse patients when they get hot on any topic by gently agreeing (whether we agree or not) and changing the subject. Many of my patients come in and chat about all kinds of non-optical related topics and we always end the conversation with “So glad we were able to solve the world’s problems today!”