Election Activities 🇺🇸 : Considerations for HR Teams

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

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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