Get Out the Vote — Employee Involvement

 

As an employer, you know that government policies directly impact your business. Did you realize that the cost of public policies developed by elected officials can be a, if not THE, most significant cost center in running your business? You simply can’t ignore something with such a profound impact on your operation. The importance of trying to shape political and policy outcomes is even more important as the whole country struggles to work its way out of the recession. If this isn’t reason enough for every rental business to want to become effective at shaping public policy, it should at least be an incentive to understand the impact that policy has on your rental business ‘bottom line.’

But you have help – your employees.

It can be difficult for equipment rental business owners to talk about the upcoming elections with their employees … this kind of activity is many times seen as a diversion of scarce resources from those already operating on small profit margins with fewer employees than ever. But you need to do it. Set some time aside to talk with them about the issues and the candidates’ stand on those issues. They have just as much at stake in the outcome of the elections as you do. Communicating with them about the issues important to your business, where the local and federal candidates stand on those issues and how the policies those candidates would vote into place would affect your business is a critical conversation.

ARA’s partner, the Business and Industry Political Action Committee or BIPAC conducted research and found:

• Employees find their employer to be the most credible source of information on elections and politics than any other source, including the media and labor unions.
   
• 78 percent of respondents either wished their company would provide information on government and politics or were open to receiving such information. In districts with a close election, that number increased to 84 percent while in districts with an open seat, it leaps to 88 percent! Fifty-eight percent of those employees who did hear from their employer on the elections, issues and candidates wished they could have had more information from their employers.
   
• Employees who received seven or more candidate/issue/election-related messages from their employers reacted positively to that communication by a 4-to-1 margin.
   
• Voter turnout among those workers increased by 29 percent. What’s more, 46 percent of employees reported that the information they received from their employers was helpful to them in deciding for whom to vote.  

Keep in mind that you aren’t telling people how to vote; you are providing information on issues that are critical to your business so that your workers can cast an informed and educated vote. In fact, as long as you don’t endorse any candidates, there is no limit on the resources you can expend in talking with employees.

How do I talk to my employees about the issues?

• Staff meeting — At your next staff meeting, set some time aside to talk to your employees about the issues that concern you as a business owner/operator. Talk about all the candidates running for office and their stance on the issues of importance to your business. Encourage employees to do their own research on the issues and candidates, and refer them to www.ararental.org/governmentaffairs/vote.aspx for information on how to register to vote. Continue to encourage employees to vote in both the primary and general elections.
   
• Host an open house or “meet the candidate” — Invite the candidates for office to your store for a tour and a ‘meet and greet’ with staff. This gives the employees an opportunity to learn about the candidate(s) and their stance on the issues, as well as educates the candidate(s) about the equipment rental industry.
   
• E-mails and literature — Send out periodic e-mails to employees with voter registration reminders and information. Click here for ideas as well as breakroom materials and check stuffers. 
   

Bottom line: Encourage your employees to get informed, get registered and get out the vote, either early, by absentee or in person on Nov. 2.

For more information or to obtain more Get Out the Vote ideas, contact Alysia Ryan at 800-334-2177, ext. 271, or alysia.ryan@ararental.org.