If Employees Are Forbidden to Talk Politics, Why Do Their CEOs? – By Alfredo Ortiz (Real Clear Markets) / Nov 10 2021
Southwest Airlines “does not condone Employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job.” Or at least that is what the company said after a pilot allegedly used the political euphemism “Let’s Go Brandon” on a recent flight.
“Let’s Go Brandon,” a misinterpretation of the phrase “f— Joe Biden,” has become a rallying cry for Republicans who are not thrilled by the president’s performance in office. The phrase meant nothing a few weeks ago but now some on the left are taking it as a threat. The phrase has clearly become a divisive chant and Southwest announced that it would be investigating the situation. (It’s likely the pilot actually said “Let’s go Braves.”)
Either way, it’s perfectly reasonable that Southwest does not want its employees talking about divisive political issues. It’s quite likely that other companies would have responded the same way. After all, the voice of one pilot does not reflect the values of every single employee at the company.
Corporations can say that employees should do their jobs, serve their customers, and leave politics out of it — but they should also hold their CEOs to the same standard.
