Dana Haase, Senior Vice President

If you have fears of your organization being pulled into the political discussion and the tension it potentially creates, you’re not alone. Circumstances surrounding the election are changing rapidly and it’s bound to have an effect on your workforce.

Here are five steps you can take to navigate election season in your organization:

1. Start scenario-planning now. The time to get prepared is before an issue erupts within your organization or your company, industry or community are targeted. First question to address: will we take a stance? Why/not? What are the implications for stakeholders?
2. Take an employee-first approach. Acknowledge that your workforce’s points of view likely fall along the entire political spectrum, and they have a right to their views. What they don’t have a right to do is make others feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
3. Use affinity and employee resource groups to create unity. Despite political differences, it’s important to create clarity about what employees have in common, diversity to be celebrated, and the mission they’re working toward together for the business.
4. That said, coach employees to keep activism separate from work. It’s imperative to make it clear that while they have a right to be active in our political process, that activity should not have an impact on their work or colleagues.
5. Educate employees on the process. Even if you decide to stay out of the fray, you can help employees participate in democracy by educating on the election process, misinformation and deepfakes, and even offer time off to allow employees to vote.

As November nears, communicators have a critical role to play in fostering a respectful and productive workplace. Be ready to rise to the challenge!

Need help? Contact rf.engage and we’ll work with you to build a communication plan that keeps your business focused and your employees empowered.