For decades, election season has been that time of the year when Americans exercise civic responsibility through voting and political discourses. To many, however, a heightened political atmosphere tends to have consequences on morale and productivity, especially in the workplace. As election-related stress affects more employees, some small businesses are offering flexibility that helps workers cope with stress while being productive. Tim Paradis, Future of Work correspondent at Business Insider, touched on the trend lately and brought to light some of the problems and solutions that business leaders are keeping an eye out for.

Campaign coverage is everywhere, and its impact on the workforce becomes increasingly evident. “People are stressed out, they’re distracted,” Paradis points out, adding that surveys and reports from business owners confirm the toll it’s taking on staff productivity and morale. This stress-or even the anticipation of such stress-can affect creativity and collaboration, as well as relationships among colleagues, particularly when employees have differing political views. Consequently, managers are seeing more and more costs due to absenteeism, distraction, and lost productivity. The Society for Human Resource Management says that distractions like these cost United States companies an estimated $2 billion each day.

And social media doesn’t help, he added: “Sometimes it’s just forcing ourselves to back up, maybe turn off our social feed, or at least take a break,” Paradis suggested. He said businesses are trying to encourage employees to take care of their information intake themselves by taking breaks, limiting time spent on social media, or even taking a walk to reset.

Some have given their employees the day off to work from home, in an attempt to create a more serene environment against a backdrop of high tension, especially for people living in or around high-traffic areas or cities with scheduled demonstrations. “If there are protests, I don’t want to have it be a thing where people have to cut through that to get to the office,” one New York business owner said. He added, this flexibility gives them a feeling of security and control during a time full of tension.

The proliferation of social media has been a powerful agent of change in the dynamics of workplace politics. “Social media tends to surface the most extraordinary, the most extreme,” said Paradis, pointing to the reality that more radical political positions are sometimes usually the most visible and tend to drown out moderate opinions. The shift from traditional norms-where political discussions were generally off limits-to a steady drumbeat of political opinion has made work relationships more fraught, some say, as employees feel ratcheted-up tension based on coworkers’ shared online activities.

As much as social media muddies things, it raises the stakes for clarity on the part of managers. Perspectives provided by gurus who say leaders must balance a fine line between commiserating with employees about stressors while reminding them all the same to focus on work. “At the end of the day, the job still has to get done,” he said. Leaders can alleviate stress by reminding employees they are all part of the same team with the same goal, creating a sense of cohesion and focus.

Some businesses struggle to keep their employees focused during election season, but Paradis emphasizes that teamwork and empathy can help them make their people feel supported while remaining productive. “The workers who are really very engaged in what they’re doing tend to cast off some of these distractions more easily,” he said, adding clear guidance and support can help employees focus on their work amid the political climate.