Flag Protests and the Workplace: How Should Companies Respond?

These days you can’t scroll social media or switch on the news without being met with a sea of flags. To some, they symbolise pride and patriotism; to others, they represent division and hate. Either way, they’ve become a distraction from the real issues people are living with every single day.

But here’s the question: at what point should organisations respond to this new wave of flag-waving?

We’ve been here before. When the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement spread globally, companies scrambled to react. We saw statements of solidarity, symbolic gestures, financial pledges, and big promises. Whether those responses translated into real change is debatable, but the scale of public opinion and action forced businesses to acknowledge it. The same pressure is now bubbling up with the recent flag protests.

So, do organisations need to pick a side?

The short answer: no.

For most businesses, overt political alignment would do more harm than good. These “flag protests”* are political at their core, and heavily tied to far-right and nationalist groups. While public involvement has been high, both on the streets and online, it doesn’t mean companies need to issue sweeping statements.

What matters instead is awareness. Just like with BLM, organisations should think less about performative declarations and more about how these movements impact their people - employees, customers, and communities.

That means asking the harder, quieter questions:

- How might these protests make staff feel unsafe, excluded, or under pressure?

- Are employees seeing these flags as a symbol of identity, or as a threat?

- What policies, training, or support structures are in place if tensions spill over into the workplace?

This isn’t about waving your own flag as a business. It’s about ensuring that when polarising movements hit the headlines, your organisation can create stability, safety, and clarity for the people it serves (both internal and external).

It’s hard to predict how people will respond when political movements spill into everyday life. In the workplace, most prefer to keep their political views private and maintain a neutral tone - which is usually the healthiest approach. But neutrality doesn’t mean silence. Some employees will still want to express their opinions, and that’s where risks can creep in: what feels like “harmless staff-room banter” to one person may feel like exclusion, bias, or even harassment to another.

No one should be expected to declare their political views at work, and frankly, it wouldn’t benefit anyone if they did. But leaders and organisations do carry a responsibility: to ensure that personal politics, prejudice, or bias never impact the working environment, team relationships, or the quality of work delivered.

So, how do you create that balance?

This is where clear boundaries and proactive culture-setting come in. Leaders need to:

- Reinforce standards of respect: making it clear that political opinions stop where harm or exclusion starts.

- Train managers to spot bias early: “banter” can be the first warning sign of something deeper.

- Provide safe reporting channels: employees should know exactly where to turn if they feel uncomfortable or discriminated against.

- Stay consistent: don’t let rules flex depending on which political issue is “hot” at the time. Consistency builds trust.

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, an organisation’s role isn’t to pick a flag, it’s to protect its staff and the people it serves. Movements and protests will come and go, but what lasts is the culture you create inside your workplace.

Choosing sides in political debates rarely benefits a business. But choosing to prioritise respect, inclusion, and employee wellbeing always does. By setting boundaries, addressing bias early, and creating safe spaces for staff to raise concerns, you show leadership that’s reliable in uncertain times.

For organisations thinking about practical next steps, there are resources that can help build awareness and strengthen culture, such as:

• EDI Audits - to assess where your organisation currently stands and identify risks.
  
  
• Leadership Development Frameworks - ensuring inclusive practice starts at the top.
  
  
• The EQIA Tool - supporting fair, evidence-based decision making.
  
  
• Microaggressions Worksheet - helping teams understand and address everyday bias.
  
  

These kinds of tools aren’t about telling companies which side to take, they’re about equipping leaders with the insight and awareness to create workplaces where people feel respected, regardless of what’s happening in the headlines.

When the noise outside gets louder, the most valuable thing a company can offer is clarity and safety inside. That’s what people remember, and that’s what builds long-term trust.

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* protests and political actions in which the Union Jack (the flag of the United Kingdom) and other national flags (e.g. the St. George’s Cross) have featured prominently. 

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