November 6, 2023 | Blog

How Empowering Employees to Vote Pays Off

Companies can benefit from following the lead of small businesses, the beleaguered backbone of the American economy, in supporting employees in their efforts to be engaged citizens. Tuesday, Nov. 7, is the date of the off-year elections, where there are no Presidential or mid-term Congressional races to decide.

However, there are no off years for community involvement.

Just as all politics are local, a brand’s standing in the community is invaluable. Not only is it where your employees work, it’s where they live, where they spend their money, and their kids go to school. Employees want to cultivate their community roots, which is why Wakefield Research is one of the few companies that give them Election Day off as part of their benefits package.

A custom PR survey conducted by Wakefield Research for Square revealed that 67% of small business owners (SBOs) agree it is their civic responsibility to provide their employees with educational resources to make their own informed voting decisions and for 37% of SBOs, the opportunity to make a difference in the community is the top benefit of giving employees the flexibility to take time off to vote. (Something to keep in mind for 2024, 76% of these entrepreneurs reported they would give employees time off to vote in the 2020 Presidential election.)