Election Activities 🇺🇸 : Considerations for HR Teams – Reflektive

The election approaches, and it feels very different from other voting seasons. Partisan polarization has peaked, and some expect the election results may be contested. Given the emotions around the elections, many employees expect their companies to support voting activities and discussions. For instance, almost 4,000 workers at Amazon have asked the company to give all its workers a paid day off to vote. And companies are responding: the Time to Vote movement now has hundreds of companies participating, accommodating workers with activities such “paid time off on Election Day, making Election Day a day without meetings or providing resources for mail-in ballots and early voting.”

If your organization is going to support employee participation in the election, now is the time to get started. But first, talk with your leadership team to determine whether elections have a place in your company. Organizational cultures play an important role, and we encourage you to think through the following:

Does listening to employee sentiment on the election fit in with our values and mission?
Can our organization handle supporting employees in their election involvement?
Can we manage diversity in political opinions during such a polarized election?

Below are several ideas we have collected from reading about organizations of all sizes to address the upcoming elections, and address employee needs during this tumultuous time.

Potential Ideas	Rationale	Considerations
Giving Employees Time Off to Vote	Some states guarantee that employees have time to vote. For example, in the state of California, workers are granted 2 hours of paid time to vote. This activity also shows that your company supports employees in their civic duties.	How many hours to provide to employees, given that polling lines can be six hours long Employee requirements on submitting and communicating their time off
Providing Voting Reminders	Lets employees know that leadership cares about their participation in our democracy Include reminders of other initiatives that your company is supporting, such as paid time off, listening circles, etc	Use verbal reminders, or more formal email reminders Decide on content and resources to include
Hosting Voter Mobilization Activities for Employees (e.g, phone banks)	Empowers employees to get involved and support voter turnout	Supporting in-person and/or virtual activities Determining the right amount of time for these sessions
Supporting Employees who are Registered Poll Workers	There is a shortage of poll workers across the US due to COVID-19	Amount of time off to provide, given that poll workers are needed for election day and early voting
Making Election Day a Day Without Meetings	Can help ensure that employees have time to vote Removes any guilt employees may feel about missing important meetings to vote	Focus on regular business by continuing with regular meetings
Providing Voting Resources to all Employees	Helps educate employees on the different ways that they can vote	Curating the content to send Handling resources for different states, if employees are geographically dispersed
Giving Guidance for Managers on Election Conversations	No matter the election outcome, there will be mixed sentiment, some of which may be extreme. This asset can provide helpful tips for managers to keep their employees focused and productive.	May want to share guidance before the election takes place Training sessions or other forums could be helpful for addressing manager FAQs

If you decide to move forward with any of the aforementioned activities, the following best practices will help employees feel more supported during this stressful time.

Commit to mutual respect. Create a safe, inclusive environment with:

Active listening
Empathy -- understand that this is a difficult time for everyone, and many are coping in different ways
Sharing mental health resources offered by your company

Provide guidance to employees prior to discussion forums. Examples include:

“Speak from your own experience”
“Never invalidate someone else’s experience”
“You are responsible for your statements and actions, and the impact that they have on your colleagues”

Ensure that leaders are non-partisan and objective while also being authentic. Leaders can:

Share how they’re feeling versus sharing their personal opinions and views
Talk about coping mechanisms that are helping them now
Before making a statement, ask themselves if someone could disagree with the statement before sharing it. If so, it’s probably not a good idea to share!

Finally, some of our favorite election resources are below:

General Election Information for All Employees

Resources for Leaders and HR Teams

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