What the U.S. midterm election results mean for HR leaders

“In recent years, trust in government has declined,” she said. “And so as a result, many, many Americans are looking to their employers to take charge and to implement programs and benefits and opportunities for them in the workplace.”

Birbal says employees apply the same lens to their employers, asking whether leaders are honest, whether rules are applied evenly and whether it’s safe to raise a concern.

That makes employer responses visible. “Let’s say a company is called in for a hearing by the Democratic Congress,” Birbal said. “An employee will be looking at how their company executives respond and engage on the various topics.”

On how to handle the results internally, Wright said the best approach is to talk openly with employees about where things stand.

“If companies or chief HR officers are trying to avoid the discussion, or let’s just say they’re not talking about any of these things, then I think that creates suspicion on the part of employees,” he said.