4 Business Tactics for Surviving an Election Year
Election season is here, and for many businesses it can be almost as bad as a recession. Employees are distracted, angry, and sometimes even mean to each other. Company morale can go from high highs to low lows. Productivity, efficiency, quality, and sales can also tank. Company culture is under fire.
The right business tactics can come to the rescue. Here are four tactics—from the most drastic to the most difficul—you can use to get through the next few months:
Business Tactic #1: Move Away
This is the most drastic action to take. You close down, move away, send everyone on furlough, or at least require employees to work from home. Then you don’t have to deal with it so directly. The problem is it’s impossible to get completely away from the candidates and the issues.
The editor of a major business publication told me he hates politics; it can be the worst part of an election year. Politics invades everything and turns adults into bullies, whiners, and spoiled children—and that’s just the business owners!
Employees can be as bad or worse. Owners see the impact in productivity, teamwork, and efficiency. The latest tweet or Facebook post can set people off, end friendships, and result in actual fights or worse.
Don’t be surprised if your business sees more sick leave or vacations during election time. Employees find this time almost as difficult as owners do. That’s their survival tactic!
Business Tactic #2: Set Rules
Setting rules is a better, more realistic business tactic to help you survive an election year. According to attorney Tommy Simmons, advisor to the Texas Workforce Commission’s Commissioner for Employers, there are no state or federal laws preventing a business from establishing policies regarding employee conduct and politics.
There are three areas where businesses need rules regarding political activities in the workplace:
- Use of company resources and brand
- Employee relations
- Customer and vendor relations
According to Simmons, business owners can legally restrict the use of company resources for political purposes. He recommends creating and enforcing policies that spell this out in detail in the employee handbook. Besides dealing with usual things such as smoking, grievances, dress codes, it should include language that prohibits the use of company equipment and supplies (e.g., computers, printers, letterhead, etc.), vehicles, and space for political purposes. It should also spell out how employees should behave towards each other, vendors, and customers, whether they agree or disagree politically.
A business also needs policies stating that employees may not use or imply brand or company endorsement or support for any candidate or cause either directly or indirectly. These policies can have long-term consequences and must be rigidly enforced to protect the business.
Having policies is not enough if you don’t let people know about them and enforce them at all levels. Jeff Evins, vice president of Evins Personnel Consulting, recommends these tactics: conducting training sessions, periodic refreshers or reminders, and providing safe environments for all points of view to be heard.
There is one additional rule that is an absolute must: no hate speech is allowed. AIBA, the Austin Independent Business Alliance, gave its members this sign to post for customers:
Hate has no business here. We are a locally owned business that values each and every customer. All are welcome regardless of faith, politics, gender, race or ethnicity. However we will not tolerate hate speech or actions of any kind.”
The same policy should be applied to employees and vendors. Every business should copy this policy or use something similar, it should be enforced it at all times, not just during an election year.
Friendly reminders to “mind your manners” can also be useful. It can prevent the dinosaur part of our brain from taking over and directing our tactics and responses to what we are feeling.
Business Tactic #3: Engage
This is the most complex and difficult tactic because it means dealing directly with the problem. People are going to talk about candidates and issues no matter what you do. So, make it happen. Create time, space, and mediators to allow that to happen in a controlled environment. It demonstrates to employees that your business recognizes the importance of being informed and active, and voting. It means allowing employees to take time away from work while hoping it helps diffuse tensions. It can.
Like Evins, Robert Howden, former Executive Director of NFIB Texas, believes business owners need to provide outlets for their employees. He goes one step further and recommends engaging directly with candidates or issue spokespeople. How? Bring them into the workplace. Let employees meet and talk to them. We see it all the time on the news—some candidate is shown visiting a restaurant or manufacturing plant. Now, it’s your turn.
Why invest the time and effort in this tricky tactic? Employers want employees who care about their work. Those employees also have a life and community outside of work and these two intersect or end up in conflict.
If planned meetings or visits are handled correctly, they can be good for morale, good public relations, and can help employees refocus on their jobs because they their other needs have been met. Productivity will go up because employees can get their views out safely and with equality. With this tactic, everyone may even learn something--and that’s a good thing, too.
Business Tactic #4: Support
No matter which other tactic you choose, this has the biggest payoff: demonstrate your active support at the last stage of an election year. Encourage employees to take their time to register if they haven’t and to vote in any and all elections.
If you have to, make it happen—even if it takes people away from the job site. Offer employees time off during work. Yes, they could vote at other times or other ways: over lunch, after work or on weekends, absentee, etc. For new voters, voting may not have been a priority. Others may have family constraints that makes it difficult to go vote during their off hours.
Your support of your employees' right to vote makes your business a better place to work at and attracts the kind of people you want. Your employees may even elect you “Boss of the Year.” Not a bad result for all your tactical efforts.
