Michele: 

Hello everybody out there in the world we are back Did you miss us? Okay you like we don’t even know who you are. So I have with me if you’re watching this on Michele Heyward LinkedIn live channel with me is my partner in diversity equity inclusion. KC Atha, you may also know her as Krystal  Atha. So, but it’s KC for short, but they’re not Jojo. Let’s get that.

KC: I got that a lot.

Michele: So today we are talking about something many people are won’t be thinking about for a few months. But employers need to be thinking about and really engaging with their employees. And in creating a plan, really, this is why we’re bringing up months early, and actually some is late for some states is how to get your workplaces ready for election day. And what can employers do to prepare? And you’re like, well, we’re working remotely, what do you mean? So, as per usual, I’m going to let crystal kick it off if she’s a guest in my house. So I always ask my guests like, Do you want something to drink? Would you like, it’s off? And Chris, KC’s like, Yes, let’s go.

KC: And nothing’s different this week. I’m ready to go.

Michele: Exactly. So what are some things? What’s one thing employers should be doing or considering right now, to help their employees with the election date? 2020.

KC: Okay, so I was thinking about this. And I thought, first of all, just to start off with talking about the importance of doing this in the workplace, it brought me back to a time this is a little bit unrelated, but related, I’ll relay that to you first. But the first thing is just to encourage it, and to give time off for it. So to give the information and give time off to do whatever it is that you want your staff to do. So if you want to encourage them to vote, then you would give the information, hey, this is when you need to register. These are the deadlines. This is the location, Hey, vote.org, great lake to go check out and get details on. And so what the first time I experienced something like this with a workplace supporting me in taking a specific behavior was when I worked on the hill. And when I worked for the Congressman, we the Chief of Staff said, Hey, everyone, starting today, everyone can go get a flu shot downstairs and room, whatever. I had never taken a flu shot until I mean, I was early 20s. This is one of my first jobs out of college. And I never really made it a priority to do that. But because my workplace said hey, here’s the information, here’s how you could do it. And by the way, go do it while you’re here on the clock. There was like no barriers. Just go do it. And guess what I do now? I go get myself a flu shot at CVS or Walgreens or wherever, every year. Why? Because I just needed that help and that support to do it the first time and to get help doing it. And so we always support folks. Many of us want folks to vote. But how do we support it? How do we build it? How do we encourage it? And so that is my story. So I’m thinking, Okay, well, that encouraged me to get my flu shot, what would encourage folks to get out and to register and to vote or to ask for that absentee ballot information and time off? Those are the those are the first things that came to mind.

Michele: And so I am on the opposite end. So what so what do I mean on opposite ends? So when I was in corporate, especially when I worked in construction, we were away from home. So election day for us, oftentimes, man, it’s on a Tuesday. So I flew home and we flew home generally once a month, and I would fly out on Thursdays fly back on Mondays, election days on Tuesday. So what does that really look like for employers who have employees who are not even at home, so they’re not only encouraging them to vote, like hey, we know you’re on the road, you may be traveling, even if they’re not going as long as I was 25 days out of 30. But they may be flying out on Mondays and back on Thursdays or Fridays. So really going through and encouraging them to to go about planning ahead for absentee ballot and it’s really really understanding what that process is because we were from, if it was 25 employees, we were probably from 25 different states. Literally. Right. So you needed some resources that were that could take us even if it was that one main resource, like Casey mentioned, that could take us to each of our individual states. So really thinking I had before, if you have even a small portion of your employees, which travel, letting them know in Marshall, lots of times, especially if you have Oh, I’m getting forgetting the terms of elections primaries in like June, what do they call? I’m drawing a blank right now,

KC: Caucuses? I don’t know. I don’t know. primaries and caucuses, I think are the two.

Michele: So they you don’t always have just elections in November. So keeping them making sure they are aware, or making sure that you’re checking to see when they need to vote? Oh, yeah, their respective states, counties, towns and cities. So keeping them aware, like, Hey, be sure you go do this. And it really, really helps a lot. Um, my accounting was it midterms, that’s it. I would be I am very fortunate. It’s a midterm. She got it for me, thanks to Danny. So if you are really looking like I would be the person, like my mom’s like, my mom was always good at about reminding her children of when to go vote. My my parents of beer are from the civil rights era. And I have like, oh, I’ll be home on like, did you get your absentee ballot? So I literally drive to the county courthouse to go due to absentee ballot delay is like, Oh, no, you can go ahead and vote me I have the boat machine set up. That’s how late I am to get an absentee ballot. So I would literally just go vote right there at the election office. Um, the voter registration office, in my in my county courthouse, so not everybody. Sometimes if you’re just forgetful of whenever they’re home, just say, hey, just take the time off, you’re on the clock, or whatever, and give them that like, maybe they would have told me instead of flying back early on Monday morning, flying back on Monday fly back on Tuesday, right? So don’t fly it on Thursday, flat on Friday, fly back on Election Day, right? So work on those schedules with them so that they can have time even on election date. If they miss voter registration, I guess that’s that’s too. But you really want to make sure you think about how your organization set up, especially if you have large organizations that are in multiple states. So yes, the primaries, Okay, what else you have KC?

KC: Okay, well, I have a few, three more little things. So the first first little thing, which is not a little thing, it’s a big thing, you have to be nonpartisan, and you have to consistently provide this information to all your staff. Okay. So that’s a really important thing that I wanted to name for everyone. So I’m the type of person that could get excited. And then I rushed into action. And then oops, you know, maybe I shared a website that is a partisan website or something. So maybe really take some time, pull it together, make sure you understand that this is a nonpartisan email or communication that you’re going to be sending out. It’s not supporting a party or a candidate, and it is going out to everyone equally and consistently, not just some of your employees and not others. Okay, so that’s the one thing I did want to point out. The second thing is, leadership executives can really make a difference by sending out a communication that really has a supportive tone. So modeling behavior is underestimated, I think so even if you sent out let’s challenge yourself, maybe you want to try some absentee voting this year, and just say, Hey, I just asked for my absentee ballot, here’s the link I use for my state, here’s a link you could use if you’re not in this state. You know, whatever, I hope everyone gets what they need to know how to execute their voting this year.

That’s a supportive tone. Then the third thing I would say is visual reminders are helpful. So not only could that executive but any other folks who want to support cultivating, encouraging this type of behavior of voting could put in their subject line or their signature, the vote.org or voting date, deadlines or whatever, you know, could just be kind of a fun, interesting thing to add to, you know, everyone will start noticing it and maybe wanting to add it to theirs as well. You know, so if leadership or people who are leaders anyway, in the organization start doing something modeling that behavior, it’s just it will catch on. So those are the three other things I would say I’d say be consistent and nonpartisan in sharing information. Make sure to get executive buy in with a supportive tone, maybe even modeling the behavior if you’re interested in challenging yourself. And then the third is just visual reminders. So have it in your email, signature, have it? Um, I don’t know where else meeting notes, you could put a little bottom. I don’t know what types of communications are happening right now in your workplace. Find those channels and see when and if you could insert a little extra info and support.

Michele: Yeah, so even if your organization you’re on your tech side, because so many people are working remotely, can they have just a little bar, text that runs by hate Election Day is whenever make sure you check for your state and your County’s absentee ballot, or figure out how they’re going to do provide PP, or what safety standards they’re going to have. So you want to also make them conscientious? And be thinking ahead of what does Election Day really look like, right? So not only are we saying, Hey, get absentee ballot for yourself, or figure out if you’re going to need time off for election day? What does it look like for your elderly parents and aunts and uncles and those who love you may be doing it more for them than for yourself. My mom is doing an absentee ballot, I think for the first time she’s 73. She goes and stands in line, even with a cane every single year, this year, she got absentee ballot. So if she’s audit number four, she’s called a county before for me, but never for herself. She’s always gone and voted. So it’s very, very different. So we’re planning ahead, not just for ourselves. So even if there’s no I’ma go stand in line, whatever their beliefs are, that’s fine. But just make them aware that they may need or want to do it for the other people in your families, then find out this information and share it with them. So remember, at this point, we’re doing things not only for our employees, but for the wellness of our employees too. So that’s not only their physical wellness, but those in their circle in their network to make sure they stay healthy. And well. I’m doing this election season. The other thing I wanted to add was you’re so right about being I’m not not showing favorite, any party, it’s really important that you just say this is a right that we have as citizens of the US understanding what is going on in the country right now. One great site that I like is issue voter, they literally you can go check on any candidate to see how they have voted on bills, like I did not know you voted for against that bill. And it’s a way for them to be educated before they even hit the polls. So sometimes it’s also finding them resources, because now they’re trying to figure out how to homeschool, cook all these meals, do Amazon at the door for the fifth time this week, right? It’s trying to figure out how to sell work remotely and communicate effectively. So what kid can you help them streamline that research process, when it comes to figuring out what’s the best candidate for their beliefs, not telling them who to vote for. But again, giving them resources so they can make the best decision sometimes is, is also helpful. But on the third part is you’re going to run this through your legal whatever verbiage, whatever resources you push out, most, especially for large organizations, you’re going to run this through your legal department, a lot of legal places, departments may say don’t touch this at all. Others may say, say something so that our employees know they need to do something. And some of you some employers may say, hey, if you miss your election, your absentee ballot deadline, let us know. And those may be employees that you actually sent out mass in 95. Because you’re saying it’s important that we support you and going out and voting but we want you to be as safe as possible. And if by chance you have sensors, so I know if somebody is six feet, let more or less than six feet in my perimeter. Something goes. You know, it helped.

KC: But he did have it I was like where how

Michele: they do have those, hey, we’ll take those two. So this is a lot this is going to be very different election year. Going forward, and we’re going to see a lot of different changes in how cities counties and states are going to have to set up the polling. So I’m looking Do you think last have been long before? I don’t know what it’s gonna look like in a pandemic if more and more people aren’t doing absentee ballots.

KC: Well, you you won’t be surprised Know that I’m different from you. I mostly vote absentee. I don’t know about the lines. I love absentee voting, because I travel a lot. And I’ve moved around a lot. And so it’s like, you know, it’s just nice and easy for me to just do it ahead of time know that it’s done. So.

Michele: Exactly, exactly. And absentee can help, especially if polling booths, locations change, polling locations change for you. lines, redistribution, lines change. Sometimes this, you know, you can find out ahead of time, because you’re doing an absentee ballot as opposed to the election day, especially with everybody, the lines being higher, they’re going to be really helping, but I think this may be a year employers should think about and highly consider giving their employees a day off if they don’t have it, because we really don’t know what it’s going to look like. Yeah.

KC: That’s it. I just came with those thoughts. And I hope that everyone does what they can I know that everyone has a different situation in the workplace. So, you know, take the meat and leave the bones on this one, if not all of them work for you. But anything you can do to support your staff to, you know, use their rights to vote as citizens. So I think that’s a great thing.

Michele: Exactly, exactly. If you have any comments or questions, suggestions, let us know in the comments. We want to know what your employer is doing. If you’re the employer, what are you doing? Why are you doing it? How are you supporting your employees in voting in 2020? And also one other plug? The sense is, yes. Have you done the census yet? If you haven’t, be sure to go and check that out. I don’t have the link right now. handy. dandy with me. But you should be able to find it fairly easily be sure you do. The 2020 census is really important that you provide that data. Yes, I just said data. It helps a lot of organizations, including positive hire, when we look at that data in really understanding where the needs are in the nation. And how we can deploy resources to to different locations as well as places that have changed right places 10 years ago that were struggling that now are truly thriving, and what was done in those areas to change that. So we want to know we want to see that. So be sure you are taking the 2020 census. Okay. All right, everybody. We’re going to get out of here. We will be back when we say first and third Wednesday of every month. We will be here at 1pm Eastern time. And wherever she is. It’s like 11am

KC: in Denver. I don’t know you have all the time. Now right Michelle, goodbye

Michele: Yeah. Bye