How workers believe the election will affect their paycheck

Important issues like wars abroad and social policy at home are on the ballot next month, but many Americans will be thinking about their jobs when they enter the voting booth on November 5th.

A new study from FlexJobs found that one in three expect the election results to have a positive or negative impact on their job.

The remote, home and flexible jobs platform surveyed 3,000 US-based professionals. Many just want the election to be over because political tensions in the election campaign leading up to November are causing professional tension and anxiety. Most others don’t expect the election outcome to affect their career or salary in one way or another, but 32% do – and their concerns could be relevant to your employment plans and prospects come January new president takes office.

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Political stress is a burden in the workplace

Perhaps most tellingly, the study found that more than one in five workers – 22% – say the current political climate is leading to increased levels of stress in the workplace. This means that the election campaign itself puts a lot of pressure on jobs before the election even takes place. Once this occurs, employees are most concerned about what impact the outcome might have on the following aspects of their careers.

• Increased spending due to political instability or inflation

• Difficulty finding a new job

• Loss of income, benefits or work hours

• Salary stagnation or reduced earning potential

• Greater discrimination or bias in the workplace

• Changing company culture or values

• A feeling of isolation or separation from colleagues

• Changes in work-life balance or well-being

• Forced career changes

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Most do not expect the election to have an impact on their careers

About 68% of FlexJobs survey respondents do not expect the election to impact their jobs, regardless of whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris emerges victorious.

Most of the 32% who believe the outcome will have a “significant impact” on their careers are optimistic. Nineteen percent think the impact will be positive, while 13% think it will have a negative impact.

Women were 70% to 64% more likely than men to expect an election-related change in their careers, but among those who expected an impact, men were slightly more pessimistic and expected the change to get worse.

The biggest concern among men and women is difficulty finding a new job, followed by higher levels of workplace stress, stagnant salaries, and loss of income, benefits, or work hours.

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Company policy controls employment decisions

The FlexJobs report also found a direct connection between a company’s political stance and its ability to attract and retain talent. Six in ten respondents said that a company’s political positions influence their decision to work for that company.

25 percent say a company’s political stance is a factor in their job search, but not the most important one. Another 22% say it is a minor but not a deal breaker, and 13% say a company’s political position is a major deciding factor in whether they are willing to work for that company.

Men and women had almost identical opinions on this topic.

Interestingly, given the national political environment, 71% of respondents said they work or would consider working for a company that supports practices and policies with which they disagree, assuming the job well paid and offers personal and professional fulfillment.

However, about three in 10 said they would “definitely” work for a company whose policies or practices do not align with their values, with women most likely to turn down an offer from a company whose policies do not align with their own.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Trump vs. Harris: How workers think the election will affect their paychecks