Do Your Employees Vote?

As you know, November 6 is election day in the U.S. and here at Double Forte we take our civic duties seriously. And so to foster a culture of engagement, accountability, and even civil discourse, this year we’ve updated our employee handbook to encourage the team to get out and vote.

We’ve always allotted some paid time off for our team to get to the polls, and this year we’ve made election day a work from home day. Lines at the polls were longer than usual in the presidential election and the midterms could break some records too. We want the team to have the time to get to their polling stations, and to stay in line if it’s a long one. We even considered giving the team the entire day off, but based on staff input and the fact our people live in places where getting in to vote has not been an issue, we decided a work from home day would meet our objectives. We will revisit that decision before the next election.

And while we would never ever tell an employee how to vote, and we are aware that what our leaders say in the office has impact, we don’t shy away from talking about politics here. Why? For starters, our jobs require us to be tapped into headlines, trends, and consumer attitudes. Second, we’re a communications firm! If we can’t model civil, respectful discourse, we’re in trouble. Third, we encourage the team to bring their whole selves to work and that includes passions and interests. And finally, I trust this team to value differences and respect each other’s points of views.

Plus, the era of separating politics and profits is behind us. Recently, global communications firm Edelman released a report that showed 65 percent of global consumers are making belief-driven purchases, a 50 percent increase from last year. And as Forbes wrote, “brands that take a stand attract more customers.”

It might feel risky to put a stake in the ground, but the greater risk these days is not to take a stand at all. Just as employees want to know what their companies stand for, so to do consumers want to know what the brands they buy from stand for.

So, don’t forget to vote!